Radios To Help Stop Poaching Of Rare Macaw - Brief Article

International Wildlife, Sept-Oct, 1999

Imagine seeing poachers stalking a rare bird in the wild and being unable to do anything about it.

That's the situation confronting Brazilian biologists working with a conservation group that owns one of two known roosting sites of the extremely endangered Lear's macaw, also known as the indigo macaw.

Now, NWF is coming to the rescue by donating a two-way radio system that will enable scientists with the Brazilian conservation organization, Fundacao Biodiversitas, to alert authorities if they spot poachers threatening the bird. It is the latest in a series of actions NWF is taking to benefit the 25 endangered species highlighted in its Keep the Wild Alive campaign.

Capture for exotic animal trade, which can command thousands of dollars per bird from illegal collectors, is the greatest immediate threat to the Lear's macaw, says Elizabeth Murdock of NWF's Keep the Wild Alive program.

Found only in a semi-arid region in the Brazilian state of Bahia, this macaw is one of the most endangered bird species in the world. Of the 140 birds remaining in the wild, about 15 are removed each year.