FEATURE


successful that it has found its way into the Guinness Book of Records. A representative of Guinness World Records, made an award to the Xcaret Macaw Breeding Centre in recognition of the hatching of 105 Scarlet Macaws and Military Macaws in 2009. This was the first time that Guinness gave one of its prestigious certificates to a programme to breed a species threatened with extinction. In 2010, 136 chicks hatched. Founded in 1992 with four breeding pairs, the centre had 772 macaws by 2010, 90% of which were hatched in the park.


In April 2013 the long-awaited first


releases occurred in Aluxes Park in Palenque, Chiapas. The birds were first subjected to genetic analysis to ensure they were cyanoptera. The first 17 macaws released were joined by eleven more on June 29 2013. At the end of July it was reported that all 28 birds had survived. Dr Alejandro Estrada, director of the programme, reported joyfully: “The sky of Palenque is gradually getting filled with red-yellow-blue stripes!” More macaws will fly free to re-establish the species where once it was common. The next release will take place early in 2014.


BIRD SCENE 47


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