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Caiman House, Yupukari Village

Located along the Rupununi River in the northern Rupununi savannahs, about one hour from Karanambu Ranch (via road or river), is the Amerindian village of Yupukari. The small village of about 500 Makushi inhabitants rests atop a hill and offers fantastic views of the Kanuku and Pakaraima mountains. In many ways, life in the village has changed little over the decades - bullock carts carry people to and fro, houses are built from handmade clay bricks, and cooking is often done over an open flame - but thanks to the Caiman House Field Station, the Rupununi Learners Incorporated (RLI), and Rupununi Learners Foundation (RLF), the village has been enjoying growth in development projects, new jobs, ecotourism, and conservation ethic.

Caiman House was built a few years ago in Yupukari by an American couple, Peter Taylor and Alice Layton-Taylor, who came so Peter - a keeper and supervisor at the Bronx and St. Louis zoos for nearly 20 years - could conduct an ongoing field study on Black Caiman (Melanosuchus niger), the largest member of the alligator family. From RLI and RLF have emerged several participatory development projects that have resulted in four new classroom libraries in the village schools (stuffed with roughly 6,500 books), an internet-enabled public library, and Yupukari Crafters, a nonprofit furniture and craft project that helps create village jobs and sustain educational development.

With all of the development, and gathering interest in the Black Caiman research, tourism has been slowly growing in Yupukari. To accommodate new visitors a guesthouse was built behind the Caiman House Field Station. With four self-contained rooms comfortably furnished with beautiful locally made furniture and traditional arts and crafts, not to mention sweeping views from the highest structure around, it makes for a pleasant base from which to seek out birds and wildlife in the surrounding forests and along the river and ponds.

Birdwatching around Yupukari takes place in a variety of habitats - savanna, wetlands, rivers, oxbow lakes, ponds, tropical rainforest - that are home to an equally rich display of flora and fauna, including more than 300 species of birds. Along the river a host of heron species - Agami, Striated, Tiger, Rufescent Tiger, Capped, Black-crowned Night-, and Boat-billed - are often spotted on sandbanks; Jabiru and Wood Stork loudly flap; Wattled Jacana gently tread on the giant Victoria amazonica lily pads; many species of macaws and parrots screech overhead; Green-and-rufous, Ringed, Pygmy and Amazon Kingfishers skim the river; and other birds - Crestless Curassow, Black Caracara, Purple Gallinule, Smooth-billed Ani, Black-capped Donacobius, Yellow Oriole, Pied Lapwing, Spotted Puffbird, Limpkin, Anhinga, Black Skimmer - make appearances along, above and in the river.

On land there is a chance of spotting Capuchinbird, Bearded Tachuri, White-faced and Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Vermilion Flycatcher, Bicolored Wren, Maguari Stork, Burrowing Owl, Brazilian Teal, Least Nighthawk, Finsch's Euphonia, Pied Water-Tyrant, Channel-billed and Toco Toucan, Snail Kite and Ruby-topaz Hummingbird. A Blue-backed Manakin lek is also a special highlight.

The more adventurous may choose to explore the foothills of the Kanuku Mountains with the expert river guide, naturalist and bird guide, Ashley Holland, who lives in Yupukari. Just a few hours by boat up the Rupununi River, lucky birdwatchers may spot some rare birds, including the Fasciated Tiger-Heron, Zigzag Heron, and the bizarre Oilbird. More common in the area are Brown Jacamar, White Bellbird, Guianan Red-Cotinga, Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock, and Spangled Cotinga.

While the birds and the mammals - Capybara, Tapir, Giant Anteater, Giant River Otter and several species of monkeys - usually put on a good showing, one of the most unique experiences of visiting Caiman House is participating in the ongoing Black Caiman research. During the dry season, visitors are invited to board boats for some nocturnal wildlife spotting that can result in some up-close and personal time with a 15-foot Black Caiman.

A threatened species, the Rupununi region of Guyana is home to a rare, largely recovered population of Black Caiman. According to the RLF website, the goal of the village-based study is, "to gain an understanding of the black caiman's ecological role and its physical and cultural context with local Amerindians and wildlife managers. Through this knowledge it may be possible to build a new consensus for its management from the local level on up. Beyond its inherent value as a prime component of its ecosystem, an intact population may also serve as a sustainable resource for the indigenous peoples." Ideally through ecotourism, which is where the active participation of guests comes in.

Visitors are invited to accompany the caiman-catching crew, which now consists largely of Yupukari locals that Peter trained, and observe caiman capture from a separate boat. Guests are then offered the opportunity to assist in data collection once the caiman is pulled to shore and secured. Caiman are weighed, measured, sexed, and tagged, and depending on the season, caiman nests, eggs and hatchlings are also studied.

In a newspaper article on the Black Caiman research, Peter was quoted as saying, "It's a major predator in an environment that is dominated by rivers and aquatic systems. And I knew that studying that animal would be a great model for training locals to get the concept (for working with scientists) and get the working experience in a very demanding project."

Local villagers are already largely running the Rupununi Learners and Black Caiman research projects. Their active participation is teaching them about conservation and management techniques that can be applied to all flora and fauna in their surrounding environment. Their goal is to foster the growth of ecotourism and economic benefits for the village, and the preservation of a pristine place for anybody to birdwatch and study natural history.

For more information on Caiman House, visit www.rupununilearners.org.