20 blue and gold macaws released

ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY was made when 20 blue and gold macaws were released into the wilds of the Nariva Swamp on Wednesday.

The release of these beautiful birds occurred in the Bush Bush Sanctuary  of Nariva Swamp to the delight of the crowd of villagers, environmentalists, game wardens, media personnel, the Minister of Public Utilities and Environment Pennelope Beckles and the Vice President-Animal Sciences at the Cincinnati Zoo, USA, Dr Terri Roth. The freeing of the blue and gold macaws is all part of the Blue and Gold Macaw Release Programme which is a collaborative effort between the Wildlife Section of the Forestry Division, the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden and the Centre for the Rescue of Endangered Species.

The Blue and Gold Macaw Release Programme began in 1993 with the goal of restoring this threatened bird species back into their natural swampland habitat. In 1999, the first batch of 18 birds for the first phase of the release programme were imported into TT from stable bird populations in neighbouring Guyana. They were then physically examined and quarantined. Afterwards, they were placed in pre-release flight cages in the Bush Bush Sanctuary and were monitored by Nariva villagers. Within a three-month period, 14 of them were released into the swamp and nine of them are still being sighted in the wild.

In the second phase of the release programme on Wednesday, a second group of 20 blue and gold macaws also imported from Guyana in September, of this year were released into the swamp. The funding for this came from the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. In her feature address, Minister Beckles said that she was happy to be a part of the historic event of releasing the blue and gold macaws back into their natural habitat. “It’s a success story for the Nariva community and the country which can be shared with the rest of the world.” In closing, Minister Beckles thanked the Nariva villagers for their tremendous efforts in helping to preserve the blue and gold macaws.