Five macaws of a seriously endangered species are already in a custody center in Bolivia after being repatriated from a Zoo from London, authorities and experts reported.
The exotic birds known as blue-bearded macaws—Ara glaucogularis—are the offspring of specimens that were trafficked to Europe in the 1980s and will now be used in reproduction to help the survival of this species that only lives in the Bolivian Amazon. Raúl Mounzón, director of the Bolivian Parrot Conservation Foundation (FCLB), told The Associated Press on Monday.
The two females and three males have been quarantined since the weekend at the Loreto Custody Center, where that foundation supports a successful reproduction and repopulation program. They were repatriated from Paradise Park in London through efforts by the government and the FCLB.
“Illegal trafficking in the 1980s to Europe and North America caused a drastic decline in the macaw population,” said Environment Minister Alan Lisperguer.
According to experts, the loss of its habitat – due to agricultural and livestock expansion and forest fires – has also led this species to a “critical danger according to the red list of species at risk of extinction. Currently, between 300 and 350 individuals live in their habitat in three places in the jungle and two of them can only be reached by horse or boat in the Amazon province of Beni, according to Mounzón.
The five birds will reproduce at the Loreto Custody Center and their offspring will be reintroduced to the natural habitat according to the needs of the population.
Since 2014, the foundation and the Bolivian government have repatriated 20 specimens from Canada and England and another 15 are expected to arrive this year from the United States.
Blue-bearded macaws can measure between 93 and 100 centimeters long and their blue and yellow plumage gives them a particular beauty.
The five birds traveled 48 hours between London, Bogotá, La Paz and Trinidad – in northeastern Bolivia – and from there to Loreto by land without major setbacks.
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Source: Gestion
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