Newquay Zoo, a frequently visited family attraction for our luxury lodges, Cornwall has officially announced the arrival of a pair of rare and endangered parrot chicks to their existing collection of exotic birds.
The zoo successfully bred the Ecuador Amazon parrot, also identified as the Lilacine Amazon parrot, which was particularly pleasing for the team at the zoo given they are one of the rarest and most endangered parrots on the planet.
There’s a mere 600 that are known to be left in the wild and because of this they have been categorised as ‘endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Birdlife International, respectively.
The Ecuadorian Amazon parrot only gained recognition as its own separate species two years ago in 2013 by researchers working at Chester Zoo.
One of the main risks to the species is that it is under threat from deforestation and the illegal pet trade. There are currently eighty five of this particular parrot housed in captivity as part of conservation breeding programmes, which accounts for nearly a fifth of the world’s total population.
Gard Ward, senior bird keeper, said: “It is great news we have bred these newly paired Ecuadorian Amazon parrots.
“The two chicks, once reaching adulthood, will be moved onto the other zoos to be part of a very important captive breeding programme and to help save this endangered but only newly discovered species.”
Newquay Zoo is an education, research and conservation charity dedicated to protecting global wildlife heritage and is owned by Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust (WWCT).
Stewart Muir, Director of Living Collections for the WWCT said: “We are in the midst of another fantastic breeding season at the Zoo and the arrival of two Ecuadorian Amazon parrots is a welcome addition to the animal population.
“All the dedicated keeping team are working hard since the breeding season is definitely our busiest time of the year and there are still lots to come for 2015”.
Image: Steve Wilson under Creative Commons.