After 70 years of extinction in the area, the Scarlet macaw returns to Palenque
June 2013. After a long process teaching the birds to adapt to the wild, 20 Scarlet macaws (Ara macao cyanoptera, a subspecies endemic to Mexico) were released into the wild in jungles of Palenque; the process will be repeated three times during 2013
The release is the first of three annual releases that, it is hoped, will return the species to the Palenque area. The goal is to have a population of 250 birds living in the wild in a habitat that they once roamed.
Part of Mexico's past
For the Hispanic cultures of south-eastern Mexico, scarlet macaws were considered guardians of the trees and they often appeared in their legends paintings and sculptures. Unfortunately, today the Scarlet macaw is limited to these artistic expressions as they have virtually disappeared from their original habitat (ranging from Tamaulipas to Chiapas), due to human activity.
Extinct in 95% of Mexico
The scarlet macaw has disappeared from 95 percent of the area it occupied in Mexico, and it is estimated that there are only 250 (All have been released) across the country.
Threats
The main threats to these birds are the removal of young for sale as pets on the black market and the significant decline in tropical rain forests, their primary habitat.
The project involves the Institute of Biology, UNAM and eco parks Xcaret, Quintana Roo, and National Aluxes and Palenque, in addition to federal, state and municipal governments, and representatives of the private sector and NGOs.
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