Loss of the Lear's Macaw
by Kerry Cooper
IS THE LEAR’S MACAW BECOMING EXTINCT BECAUSE OF THE GREED AND STUPIDITY OF SO-CALLED AVICULTURISTS?
SADLY YES
The beautiful Lear’s Macaw occurs in a very small semi-arid area of the North-Eastern region of Bahia, Brazil. The Lear’s is an extremely rare bird, which, up until the 1970’s, was only known by a few captive specimens. The actual area occupied by this bird (see map) is quite small, and was located and documented in 1978, by a team led by leading Brazilian Ornithologist Dr Helmut Sick.
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According to Joseph Forshaw, in his excellent book PARROTS OF THE WORLD, page 392, he states that Voous, in 1965, suggested the Lear’s Macaw was in fact a Hybrid of the Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) and the Glaucous Macaw (Anodorhynchus glaucous). He also states, that he believes the Lear’s is closely related the glaucous, and may be isolates of the one species, but both are distinct from the Hyacinth.
At present there are only 130 individual birds left in their native habitat. These low numbers have been attributed to several things. Changes to their habitat is definitely having an adverse affect on them, plus hunting and trapping and illegal trapping for the bird trade is definitely doing the most damage to their numbers at this time.
Since the numbers of the Lear’s are so low, they have been accorded the highest level of protection possible under the CITES treaty. |
Brazil also has very strict domestic Legislation, prohibiting the export of wildlife species from Brazil, and the Brazilian Wildlife Protection Act of 1967 prohibits the trading of wildlife and also possession of any and all implements that implicate their capture, pursuit or destruction. This Legislation also prohibits the keeping of the Lear’s Macaw in captivity. Since this Legislation came into effect, the Brazilian Government has refused to issue any export permits.
The Brazilian Wildlife Authorities, and local Municipal Agencies, have been conducting a major campaign against poaching of the Lear’s and have been successful so far with several arrests and convictions locally and Internationally. As an example, in 1995, a smuggler was caught red-handed with a Lear’s Macaw in his possession. In 1998 a field team observed and arrested poachers in the act of setting up nets to capture Lear’s, and also in 1998, eight Lear’s Macaws were confiscated from an Aviculturist in northern Brazil.
Although Authorities are seemingly doing everything they can to halt and reverse the declining numbers, Lear’s Macaws are still being smuggled Internationally from Brazil. In 1996, two Lear’s were confiscated at a French Airport. Sadly, one of the Lear’s died at the Airport and the other returned to Brazil. Authorities in Singapore, confiscated two Lear’s Macaws from a private collection, the owner of which, was also the person in possession of the two Lear’s at the French Airport.
British Authorities are confiscating Lear’s Macaws from collectors and Brazil has asked for the return of all birds.
Any Lear’s returned to Brazil is evaluated as to whether they can be released back into the wild population, and if not, they are used in the co-ordinated captive management program.
Thankfully, there is very strong national support for preservation of the Lear’s Macaw, and due to grants and donations, received from several Organizations, project organizers, are able to facilitate the protection of the area against poaching and also support field research, habitat restoration, conservation and educational programs.
Conservation of not only the Lear’s Macaws, but all our wildlife, is a responsibility that our respective Governments must take seriously. We need to act now and not leave it to the stage that the Lear’s Macaws and many others are in. We also need to forgo our greed and stop purchasing birds that are in such a critical state.
References.
PARROTS OF THE WORLD (Third revised edition) by Joseph Forshaw Lansdowne Press
ENDANGERED LEAR'S MACAW BY Brazilian Institute for Environment and Natural Renewable Resources. |
