Saving the World’s Rarest Wild Macaws
The stunningly beautiful Blue-throated Macaw is a critically endangered parrot from Bolivia that was thought to have gone extinct by the early 1970’s. Fortunately it was rediscovered in the late 1970s but shortly afterwards was nearly trapped to extinction by wildlife poachers, leaving a very small population of only a few hundred birds spread out over a large area.
Due to its extreme rarity and precarious position, in 2002 the World Parrot Trust launched a decades long conservation program to save this species. Led by biologist Igor Berkunsky, the WPT research team works to locate, protect and encourage the recovery of this species in the wild.
With the generous and timely support of BOSS Orange, important work was funded to expand the program, and help ensure the species’ survival. These efforts include the protection and management of wild nests from predators and poaching, the support of young chicks to ensure that each and every one survives, and the restoration of special habitat areas that have been affected by cattle ranching.
Important upcoming developments for the species may include the crucial step of releasing birds back to the wild that have been raised in captivity. What happens to the species in the next few years will determine its long-term future in the wild – one that we hope will continue forever.