the newsletter of loro parque fundación · 2007. 8. 31. · the loro parque fundación, wolfgang...

Saving wildlife and habitats

�Nº 84- March 2007

nº84 - March 2007

The Newsletter of Loro Parque Fundación

The newsletter of Loro Parque Fundación

� Nº 84- March 2007

Nº. 84 - March 2007

Wolfgang KiesslingPresident, Loro Parque Fundación

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ÍndexMessage from the founder...........................�Year of the Dolphin.....................................3EU ban on the importation of birds.............5Well-being of pet parrots.............................6LP Meeting Point.........................................9LP News....................................................�0LPF News..................................................��LPF News/La Vera Breeding Centre.........�4Project Update.......................................... �5United for development............................ �0Rescue of Fauna........................................��

Editorial Office:Loro Parque S.A.38400 Puerto de la CruzTenerife, Islas Canarias. EspañaTel.: + 34 922 374 081 - Fax: + 34 922 373 110E-mail: [email protected]@loroparque-fundacion.org

Editorial Consultant:Rosemary Low

Editorial Commitee:Raquel Agrella, Dr. Javier Almunia, Inge Feier, Wolfgang Kiessling, Alice Lorch, Matthias Reinschmidt y Prof. David Waugh

Visit our websites:www.loroparque-fundacion.orgwww.loroparque.com

Membership:Become a member of Loro Parque Fun-dación to support us in our activities. You will then receive our trimestral newsletter Cyanopsitta, as well as a supporter’s card permitting free entry to Loro Parque during the validity of your membership and a visit to our breeding centre. The current annual membership fees are:

Adults................................................100,00€Childrens............................................50,00€

Please send us your membership subscrip-tion by mail, fax or e-mail, or call us, and we will sign you up immediately.

Bank Account:BBVA, Puerto de la CruzCuenta:............ 0182 5310 61 001635615-8IBAN:.......ES85 0182 5310 61 0016356158BIC:....................................... BBVAESMM

Depósito legal: TF-1643/2003

Message from the founder

The ocean surrounding the Canary Islands is rich in marine life, not least the many species of whales and dolphins which live here all year or pass through on migration. But they are not immune from over-exploitation, contamination and other threats. For many years, Loro Parque and Loro Parque Fundación have promoted and supported multiple activities for the conservation of the marine environment in these islands, and above all for the protection of the marine mammals. Long ago I proposed the region of Macaronesia as a sanctuary for marine mammals, and I remain committed to the establishment and reinforcement of strong protection measures for these graceful and intelligent animals.

Hence, it is very natural that Loro Parque and Fundación have begun a special year, the ‘Year of the Dolphin’, with a dynamic participation which in every month until December will be high profile in the Canary Islands and beyond. Our team will work in close partnership with other highly regarded players, such the tour operator World of Tui, the Convention on Migratory Species, the Canary Islands’ Government and the insular governments of several islands, to mention just a few. Together we can make a big difference, which also is already happening with our important participation in the rescue and recovery of marine animals. The unrivalled installations of Loro Parque and the expertise of our team offer the best opportunity in these islands to recover these injured animals and return them to the sea.

The rescue of fauna is an example of how scientific and technological acumen in the management of animals must always be balanced with the utmost humanity towards them. This philosophy you will also find reflected in the advice that we provide on the proper care of pet parrots, as well as our position on the prohibition of the importation of wild-caught birds into the European Union. The best possible care of the birds is not just a moral issue, but it makes good economic sense and helps conservation. The Loro Parque Fundación has unequalled experience to show how captive parrots bred in the best conditions can counteract the capture of wild parrots, and contribute to conservation.

The pages of this edition are again full of examples of our projects for endangered parrots and other wildlife across the globe, which our success with captive breeding helps to finance, and which counts as an important contribution to sustainability.


3Nº 84- March 2007

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Loro Parque Fundación opens the Year of the Dolphin in Tenerife

The students performed as well observations of the behaviour, video records, sound records and took photos of the animals’ dorsal fins

On the �6th of February, Loro Parque Fundación participated in the official opening of the activities for the Year of the Dolphin on the Island of Tenerife. The ceremony was presided over by the President of the Tenerife insular government, Ricardo Melchior, with the participation of the General Director of Biodiversity, Juan Carlos Moreno, the Director of the UNESCO Center of the Canary Islands,

During the excursions with the boats of the Asociation Calderón different activities like the data registration of the position and speed of the boat were carried out.

Cipriano Martín, the Head of Environment of TUI in the Canary Islands, Alejandro Hidalgo and the President of the Loro Parque Fundación, Wolfgang Kiessling. This opening ceremony in Tenerife, an initiative spurred by the Loro Parque Fundación, initiated the activities which will culminate with an International Conference and a governmental meeting propitiated by UNESCO and the Convention for Migratory Species towards the end of 2007. This Conference will bring together governmental representatives from Spain, Portugal, Cape Verde, Sao Tome and Principe, Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameron, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo and Angola, and furthermore of course the presence of the Canary Islands, Azores and Madeira. In the context of this governmental meeting an international agreement for the conservation of small cetaceans in the south-east Atlantic Ocean will be made, similar to the agreement ACCOBAMS for the Mediterranean or ASCOBAMS for the North Sea and the north-east Atlantic.

During his intervention in the official act to open the Year of the Dolphin in Tenerife, our president Wolfgang Kiessling congratulated this initiative, and reminded that the protection of cetaceans in Macaronesia had been a personal project, propelled by LORO PARQUE and Loro Parque Fundación, since the 80’s. This personal effort began when Petra Deimer conveyed to him the need to broaden the level of protection in the Canary

Islands and the Azores Islands which she herself had promoted in the archipelago of Cape Verde. Now more than �0 years have passed and it seems that at last this agreement for international protection will see daylight at the end of this year 2007. These are the reasons, together with the fact that our President, Wolfgang Kiessling is a founding member of the

organization ‘Friends of CMS’, clearly explain why Loro Parque and the Loro Parque Fundación have hurled themselves with enormous enthusiasm into the

activities of the Year of the Dolphin, organizing and implementing a huge number of educational activities during the whole year. And, as a consequence of this involvement, at the beginning of March Loro Parque Fundación received the acceptance of the UNEP-CMS Secretariat as Year of the Dolphin 2007 Partner.The activities for education and environmental awareness which Loro Parque Fundación will develop during this year of 2007 will have as their aim to underline the need to conserve the small cetaceans of our Seas. These activities will be complemented with those of TUI, who will publish information on dolphins in holiday catalogues and flight-newsletters, and who has developed a web site (www.YoD2007.org) in which you can find information on migratory wild species and the principal risks threatening their habitat – mainly the accidental capture with floating nets or the increasing deterioration of their habitat. The initiative of the Year of the Dolphin is integrated into the project of UNESCO “Decade of the United Nations for Education onr Sustainable Development). The objective of this campaign is to reach the aims set by the members of the United Nations, which are to minimize significantly until 2010 the galloping loss of biodiversity on this planet. Loro Parque Fundación


4 Nº 84- March 2007

Group of students arriving at the port at the end of the activity.

Official opening of the “Year of the Dolphin” in Cabildo de Tenerife

Loro Parque Fundación promotes institucional declaration by the Canary Islands’ Parliament in favo-

ur of Macaronesian cetaceans.Within the multiple initiatives that the Loro Parque Fun-dación is carrying out in celebration of the Year of the Dolphin, it has triggered an institutional declaration of the Canary Islands’ Parliament in favour of the conservation of the cetaceans of Macaronesia. Those of you who you have followed the efforts of the foundation from its begin-nings will know very well that this is an initiative that our President, Wolfgang Kiessling, has promoted since end of the 1980s, in support of an idea of the well-known expert in cetaceans and conservationist Petra Deimer. The propo-sal of Loro Parque Fundación was received with genuine interest by all political groups with representation in the regional chamber, and the proof is that it was approved unanimously. With this declaration that old dream finally begins to take political form. The following is the comple-te text of this declaration. “The Parliament of the Canary Islands urges to the Government of the Canary Islands so that, in turn, it insists to the Government of the State to take into consideration the celebration of the Year of the Dolphin, that has been promoted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), to support whichever ini-tiatives directed towards the preservation of populations of cetaceans, and that the biogeographical region of the Macaronesia is declared marine sanctuary for cetaceans.”

presented in the opening of the Year of the Dolphin a video in which were shown educational activities with secondary students on whale-watching boats. For this activity we counted on the collaboration of Calderón - the Association of Businessmen for Maritime Excursions, which offered the use of their boats gratis. For three days the department of education of Loro Parque Fundación went to sea with secondary students, who conducted activities of photo-identification, sound recordings with a microphone, behaviour observations, etc. The results of this activity, which had already been developed within the project “Investigate Cetaceans”, are really spectacular and the students show a high level of concentration and reach an important level of awareness about protection and respect towards the animals. This video has been projected as a symbol of the activities which will take place during the entire year, and with them Loro Parque Fundación tries to call attention to the importance of conserving the populations of resident and transient cetaceans of the Canarian archipelago. In order to carry out these activities use will be made of the resources created in the Aula de los Cetáceos (Cetacean Classroom) of LORO PARQUE. There will be dual use of the classroom. On one hand, it will be available to educational groups and to the visitors to the park. At the same time it will serve as a meeting place for online activities carried out by Education Centers from all over the archipelago. Thus, one of the projects will be an activity with educational institutions via the internet, by which the students will acquire knowledge about the principal threats to which the populations of small cetaceans are confronted. This information will be developed in the form of computer games and interactive activities specifically developed for the programme. Between the participating schools there will be selected classes who will have the chance to make boat trips out to sea with boats of the Association

Calderón, in order to familiarize themselves with the tasks on board of the scientists studying cetaceans. During the complete Year of the Dolphin exhibitions will take place in the Aula del Mar of LORO PARQUE as well as in the town-halls of the communities where whale-watching activities have major importance. Furthermore, other public events will be developed, like days for dissemination, sculpture in occupational therapy centres, newsletters to distribute news between the participating educational institutions, promotion of voluntary groups, etc. It is certainly sad, but necessary to mention, that the celebration of this Year of the Dolphin contrasts with the tragic massacre of dolphins that, year after year, takes place in Taiji (Japan), in which the local fishermen cruelly sacrifice with harpoons hundreds of dolphins, staining the sea red. Most surprising is that there are zoos which take advantage of this massacre to obtain some of the surviving dolphins for their collections, against the norms dictated by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) and the most basic human dignity. Loro Parque and Loro Parque Fundación want to reiterate their total repulsion and condemnation of this type of slaughter of cetaceans, and any other form of cruelty against animals.


5Nº 84- March 2007

In 2005, after cases of avian flu in birds (caused by the H5N1 avian influenza virus) and then humans started to multiply, as a precautionary measure the European Union member states agreed to put into place a temporary prohibition of the impor-tation of wild-caught birds into the EU from other countries. The period in force of the ban was repeatedly extended. At the same time, there was a movement to persuade the EU to make the prohibition permanent, mainly on animal welfare grounds, but also for conservation reasons, and not losing sight of the potential risk posed by avian flu and other diseases. On the 11th of January 2007, the chief veterinary officers from EU member states meeting in Brussels agreed to a permanent ban on wild bird imports for commercial purposes, on the grounds of the health risk posed by avian flu and other diseases. This permanent prohibition is expected to apply from 1st July 2007. Only specific countries or regions which have already been approved to export live com-mercial poultry will be allowed to export captive birds to the EU.Some animal protection organisations expect the permanent ban will protect rare and threatened species and save millions of birds.

According to the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) Secretariat, the annual global trade in wild birds today is about �.5 mi-llion. For lack of systematic surveys, estimates vary subs-tantially on what proportion of the captured birds die before they reach their final destinations, but it could be as much as 75 per cent. In the United States the Wild Bird Conser-vation Act of �99� includes provisions to limit or prohibit U.S. imports of exotic bird species covered by CITES and authorizes moratoria on the importation of species not co-vered by CITES. It has been reported that, as a result, legal and illegal imports into the U.S. have been greatly reduced, and that significant declines in nest-robbing (of parrots) in the Neotropical region have occurred. These aspects have been used as an argument in favour of the EU ban. Howe-ver, a Defenders of Wildlife (which supports the EU ban) report released on the 14th of February 2007, from one of the most detailed examinations ever of any illegal animal trade, shows that smuggling of some endangered species of Mexican parrots into the United States is increasing, and pus-hing depleted parrot populations to the brink of extinction.

The Loro Parque Fundación and the EU wild bird trade ban

Thus, the effect of blanket bans is still not clearly understood.CITES, through its �69 member countries, regulates inter-national trade in wild birds, and place stringent controls on virtually all threatened species. It also imposes trade bans on international trade in specimens of some highly endangered species. However, it recognizes that bans risk creating black markets, and the Secretariat has expressed disappointment in the EU decision. Citing habitat destruction as the main threat to wild birds, it states that the EU ban also risks un-dermining the impoverished communities who depend on the environmentally sustainable trade in birds, and remo-ving their economic incentives for protecting bird habitat.The LPF agrees with the current prohibition of the im-portation of wild birds into the EU for two main reasons:1) Conservation reason. There is still insufficient, rigorous-ly-obtained evidence that the rates of removal of birds from wild populations are sustainable. Therefore the LPF consi-ders that more research into this matter should be done. Ro-bust results, whatever they show, can then be used for in-formed decision-making. As an example, the LPF has been funding a project in Cameroon which is attempting to pro-vide objective data on this matter for parrots in that country. The project leaders report that the present effect of the EU ban is a worsening of the conditions under which the pa-rrots are held pre-export, and the possibility of their release without any effective health controls (see Project Update).�) Welfare reason. The current situation causes unaccepta-ble suffering and mortality. Even though a study for CITES by the German Government revealed that mortality rates for birds during transport for international trade was just �.36%, between the point of capture and the point of depar-ture from the source country, inadequate conditions of captu-re, transportation and housing cause much higher mortality.

Captive-bred Parrots instead of wild-caught ones.

Unacceptable conditions of capture.


6 Nº 84- March 2007

Although the LPF favours a current prohibition, in support of CITES it also considers that there are certain conditio-ns necessary. The LPF considers that the EU permanent ban on commercial importation of wild-caught birds must include provision for the legal importation of wild-caug-ht birds for conservation reasons. The EU prohibition must also permit the commercial transaction of the second-gene-ration offspring of any wild–caught birds legally entering captivity under the prohibition (as currently permitted by CITES). The CITES national authorities should not inter-pret a permanent prohibition as to mean the imposition of heavier restrictions on the international transfer of captive-bred birds, and all birds transferred for conservation reasons.Illegally-captured birds which have been confiscated by ,the competent authorities should not be maintained iso-lated for the rest of their lives, but should be legalised (but with no gain to the persons involved in their trafficking) as soon as possible to be able to live socially with other mem-bers of their species, to be given the chance to breed, and in many cases to make an important genetic contribution.The EU ban will require bird breeders in developing countries to comply with specified conditions to re-gister as traders to the EU of captive-bred birds.CI-TES established such a registration system for opera-tions breeding in captivity specimens of endangered

species many years ago, but the EU decided not to imple-ment the measure. With the emphasis on captive bree-ding, the LPF can demonstrate its excellent history of breeding parrots to help reduce their capture in the wild

Loro Parque Fundación up-dates its guidelines for keeping pet parrots

The LPF wants that all parrots everywhere, are given the correct attention and conditions. It has recently up-dated its guidelines for the proper care of pet parrots, and here presents an abridged version (the

complete guidelines are available at www.loroparque-fundacion.org, or write to LPF).

Amazona rhodocorytha: a threatened species which captive breeding and international transfer can help.

Delightful and demandingAll companion animals must be looked after properly, but especially so a pet parrot. Parrots are intelligent birds, and can form intense bonds of friendship and affection with their owners. Any person who decides to keep a pet parrot must be prepared to take on a big responsibility.

Your pet – the ambassador for parrotsIf you want to keep a pet parrot, please make sure that you find out everything you can about keeping this kind of parrot in captivity, and how it lives in the wild. Some parrots that are regularly bred and offered for sale as pets are of species endangered in the wild. We re-commend not to keep this category of parrot as a pet.Buy a captive-bred parrot, which will be a much better pet than any wild caught parrot. The capture of parrots in the wild causes large numbers to die unnecessarily. For the joy which your parrot will give you, give so-mething back to save parrots and their habitats in the wild – make a donation to the Loro Parque Fundación.

A healthy start

Choose a healthy parrot, and know the signs to avoid. Use as your standard those parrots which come from the most reliable sources where regular health checks and testing for diseases are carried out, such as at the Loro Parque Fundación.

What kind of home for your pet parrot?Spacious.The Loro Parque Fundación does not approve of the close confinement of pet parrots in small cages. The cage must be as spacious as possible. Think before deciding to acquire a larger parrot. If you can prepare a room especially for your parrot to move around safely – all the better. The Loro Parque Fundación does not re-commend interference with the plumage of pet parrots (e.g. clipping wing-feathers).

Suitable cageA suitable cage is an important aspect of providing the right home. A parrot will treat the cage as its own territory – a safe refuge. It should be spacious and of a simple de-sign which is easy to clean and maintain. Have the cage properly prepared before acquiring your parrot. Check


7Nº 84- March 2007

Blue and Yellow Macaws need a lot of space.

Sun Conures: noisy but popular as pets.

to see if your country has regulations about minimum cage dimensions for pet birds. Make sure that your pa-rrot can position itself a good distance from the ground. Suitable locationThe cage for your parrot must be placed in suitable lo-cations. Exposure to natural sunlight is good, but ne-ver place the cage in direct sunlight. Avoid places with draughts, but good ventilation is recommended: parrots are very sensitive to chemical vapours and fumes.

An aviaryThe Loro Parque Fundación can thoroughly recommend to keep your pet parrot in an indoor or sheltered out-door aviary. This will help to give it a high quality of life.

Spick and spanKeep your parrot’s environment clean. Daily cleaning will avoid accumulation of micro-organisms potentially harmful to your parrot. Make sure that nothing harmful can fall into the cage.

Even saferHave a good method of securing the door of any cage or aviary. If your parrot is in a room, cover or mark the windows, and make sure that it cannot escape. Do not have your parrot loose where other animals mig-ht injure or kill it. Keep out of reach anything which could be toxic to the bird. Parrots can be stolen, so take the necessary measures to make your pet secure. Pa-rrots have strong beaks and can give a painful bite. Get to know your parrot´s character and the warning signs

On the moveTo transport your pet parrot, use the most suita-ble transportation container. Have the container readily available: don`t use something unsuita-ble at the last minute. For journeys by air, make sure in advance of all the necessary conditions..

An enriched environmentQuality of space is important. Parrots in the wild live in complex natural surroundings with many things to stimulate them. Don’t let your parrot get bored. Make sure that its captive environment provides it with many things to do. Give it fresh wood and other safe items to chew, as well as a calcium stone.Your parrot needs a daily shower to keep its plumage in top condition.

Food and drinkYour pet parrot needs a constant supply of safe drin-king water and a diet of the suitable kinds and quan-tities of foods, given twice daily or more. A healthy parrot has a varied diet. Find specialist information on diets. The food must always be fresh prepared hygie-nically. The Loro Parque Fundación recommends the Loro Parque seed mixtures in the Prestige Premium category of Versele-Laga (www.versele-laga.com)

A social lifeYou are likely to be your pet parrot’s constant com-panion. Parrots are intelligent and sociable birds which benefit from a lot of attention, stimulation and positive reinforcement. Having more than one parrot, can help with the constant companionship.

Under the weatherA responsible parrot owner visually checks the bird daily: any sign that it is not right, always con-sult a veterinarian with avian experience. Like other wild birds, parrots have special medical needs, and can benefit from a yearly check-up!

Pet parrots must be healthy, contented and long-lived. If you are fully informed and prepared for the proper care of your parrot, you will have the most wonderful companion.


8 Nº 84- March 2007

1. Parakeets of the following genera:Alisterus, Aprosmictus, Aratinga, Barnardius, Bolborhynchus, Brotogeris, Cyano-liseus, Cyanoramphus, Enicognathus, Eunymphicus, Geopsittacus, Leptosittaca, Myiopsitta, Nandayus, Neophema, Ognorhynchus, Pezoporus, Platycercus, Polytelis, Prosopeia, Psephotua, Psittacula, Purpureicephalus, Pyrrhura, Rhynchopsittaa

2. Short-tailed parrots of the following genera:Agapornis, Amazona, Bolbopsittacus, Cacatua, Callocaphalon, Calyptorhynchus, Coracopsis, Cyclopsitta, Deroptyus, Eclectus, Eolophus, Forpus, Geoffroyus, Graydi-dascalus, Gypopsitta, Hapalopsittaca, Micropsitta, Nannopsittaca, Nestor, Pionites, Pionopsitta, Pionus, Poicephalus, Prioniturus, Probosciger, Psittacara, Psittacella, Psittaculirostris, Psittacus, Psittinus, Psittrichas, Strigops, Tanygnathus, Touit, Tricla-ria.

4. Lories and other nectar-feeders of the following genera:Chalcopsitta, Charmosyna, Eos, Glossopsitta, Lathamus, Loriculus, Lorius, Neopsitta-cus, Oreopsittacus, Phigys, Pseudeos, Psitteuteles, Trichoglossus, Vini.

3. Macaws of the following genera:Anadorhynchus, Ara, Cyanopsitta, Diopsittaca.

The Endangered Chattering Lory. Not suitable as a pet. Rosellas: Good companions.

Appendix - Guidelines for minimum cage dimensions(Endorsed by the Federal Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Forestry, Germany)

The guidelines show minimum dimensions. The Loro Parque Fundación would like to see much big-ger dimensions, as big as the owner can provide – your parrot will appreciate every extra centimetre.

Thank you.

TOTAL LENGTH OF BIRDS IN CM

CAGE/AVIARY DI-MENSIONS LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT

IN M

AREA OF THE CAGE/AVIARY

IN M²

till �5

more than �5 till 40

more than 40

1,0 x 0,5 x 0,5

2,0 x 1,0 x 1,0

3,0 x 1,0 x 2,0

0,5

�,0

�,0



IN M


IN M²

till 40

more than 40 till 60

more than 60

2,0 x 1,0 x 1,5

3,0 x 1,0 x 2,0

4,0 x 2,0 x 2,0

�,0

�,0

�,0



IN M


IN M²

till �0

more than �0

1,0 x 0,5 x 0,5

2,0 x 1,0 x 1,0

0,5

�,0



IN M


IN M²

till �5

more than �5 till 40

more than 40

1,0 x 0,5 x 0,5

2,0 x 1,0 x 1,0

3,0 x 1,0 x 2,0

0,5

�,0

�,0


9Nº 84- March 2007

Meeting Point Loro Parque

In February, the Disney Channel recorded a competition for children between several schools of the Canary Islands in the facilities of LORO PARQUE.It’s a competition being held in all the Spanish regions and it is being broadcast by this Channel at national level. LORO PARQUE was the perfect setting for this programme in which the children were asked not only general knowledge questions, but also lots of questions about the animals.

In the Hotel Botánico on the 15th and 16th of March the XXIX Working Session of the Environmental Authorities’ Network of Spain took place. The Network includes representatives from all the Autonomous Communities of Spain, plus from the central government in Madrid, as well as from the Eu-ropean Union in Brussels. It responds to the policy of the European Union, through its Structural and Cohesion Funds, to pursue a regional develop-ment balanced between the Members States. This way, the community con-tributes economic aid necessary for the socioeconomic development of the different regions and European states that require it, naturally including the environment and sustainable regional development. This Working Sessio-nwas hosted by the Council for Environment and Territorial Planning of the Canary Islands’ Government, and the theme was Natura 2000 in 2007-2013 and its contribution to sustainable development. Natura 2000 is a European

In their second performance in Tenerife, the “Berlin Philharmonic”, put on a very demanding concert, the 2ª Symphony of Gustav Mahler, with great success al-though that same day, some of the musicians of world-wide fame, had spent all day enjoying the attractions of LORO PARQUE. The musicians felt passionately about animals and that a long time ago they had already plan-ned to include a visit to LORO PARQUE during their stay on the island. “As ‘aficionados’ of parrots, our prio-rity was to learn everything about the collection, unique in the world and about the ambitious work of the Loro Parque Foundation. However, after visiting the rest of the attractions, like the orcas, we were so impressed with everything that we would have liked to spend much more time to enjoy the wonders of this natural park”

In the Hotel Botánico on the 15th and 16th of March the XXIX Wor-king Session of the Environmental Authorities’ Network of Spain took place. The Network includes representatives from all the Autono-mous Communities of Spain, plus from the central government in Ma-drid, as well as from the European Union in Brussels. It responds to the policy of the European Union, through its Structural and Cohesion Funds, to pursue a regional development balanced between the Members States. This way, the community contributes economic aid necessary for the socioeconomic development of the different regions and European sta-tes that require it, naturally including the environment and sustainable regional development. This Working Session was hosted by the Council for Environment and Territorial Planning of the Canary Islands’ Gover-nment, and the theme was Natura 2000 in 2007-2013 and its contribution to sustainable development. Natura 2000 is a European ecological net-work of areas for biodiversity conservation, especially to assure the long term survival of the most threatened species and habitats. As such, it is the main instrument for the conservation of nature in the European Union. Almost 100 participants were provided with information about the conserva-tion work of the Loro Parque Fundación (LPF), and on the second day they were invited to a lunch and visit in Loro Parque. In his lunch-time speech, Mr Wolfgang Kiessling, President of LPF, highlighted the most important activities and successes of the LPF. Following the orca show the delegates visited the ‘Aula del Mar’ (Classroom of the Sea) and received more detailed information about the LPF’s research with this species and the marine environment, its education programmes and the work which takes place in the parrot breeding centre.


�0 Nº 84- March 2007

Delegates of the Spanish Government visit Loro Parque

The royal beak of the jungle now in LORO PARQUE

The Delegates of the Spanish Government in the Canary Is-lands, headed by José Segura Clavell, used the last hours of the year �006 for a visit to Loro Parque. In this way they officially underlined the enormous contribution the park has made to the progressively higher profile of the islands and Spain all over the world, and manifested the high importance of Loro Parque as a company in the economy of the Canary Islands. At the same time they were impressed by the latest attraction, the orcas, and, according to Segura, enjoyed a small walk “through this unique, exceptional exotic oasis”.

For some days now, Loro Parque has surprised its visitors with a very exotic bird. A pair of Toco Toucans (Ramphas-tos toco) has moved into the rainforest of the aquarium, where a river with a variety of South American fishes is exhibited. The Toco Toucan is one of the most impressive toucans, with a length of up to 65 cm being the largest of this very common family of birds found in South America. The outstanding characteristic is, without any doubt, the ye-llow-orange coloured beak with a length up to �� cm and a black point at it’s end. The elegant black plumage, white throat and unique blue and orange eyes make the bird very attractive.In the wild the beak is used for collecting fruits and stea-ling eggs from the nests of other birds. Due to its structu-re horny layers, the potent beak is much lighter than it looks and has small serrations so that it can be used also as juice squeezer. Furthermore the intense coloration of the beak has a dramatic and positive effect during courtship.Something extraordinary is the way it feeds: as the fea-ther-like tongue can not transport the food, the Toucan takes it with the end of the beak and throws it into the air so that it falls with momentum directly into the throat. The jungle exhibition in the aquarium of Loro Parque is so open-ly designed that the visitors can observe the new Toco Toucans close-up and without any restriction, in a very natural habitat.

7 new Penguins enjoy the snow flurry in LORO PARQUEThere is snow in Tenerife. What? Every day �� tons of ice fal in a rocky landscape with a room temperature of 0º C. Outsi-de the sun shines and on beaches everybody enjoys the good climate. These small creatures, the penguins, stars of LORO PARQUE in Puerto de la Cruz, surprise everybody with their likeable clumsiness. The �.5 million visitors annually con-firm their success 1. “Planet Penguin” is the best replica of the Antarctica reproduced over a surface of 4,000 m�. The greatest refrigerator of the world maintains its temperature in an ecological way. The always crystalline water stays at a temperature of 7º C thanks to a complex system of filtration, and also the solar cycle is perfectly suites to that of Antarcti-ca. Thus the visitors to LORO PARQUE have the unique op-portunity to experience the real world of the King, Rock-hop-per, Chin-strap and Gentoo penguins in a habitat adapted only for them. Successful reproduction is test of their well-being, and seven Gentoo penguin chicks have hatched, and there are still �0 more eggs left in their nests. When the visitors take a journey along the moving floor, we see joy and astonishment on their faces. In this snow-covered landscape many things are happening; the penguins eat, they sleep, they play and entertain themselves. With this scene is not only a desire to demonstrate the beauty of Antarctica, but also to make all the visitors aware, to respect, to protect and to take care of nature.

Loro Parque News

Toco Toucan: What a beak!


��Nº 84- March 2007

AIZALoro Parque is a founding member of the Iberian Association of Zoos and Aquaria (AIZA), the professional association whi-ch demands high standards for its member zoos and aquaria in Spain and Portugal. On the 26th and 27th of January, Loro Parque hosted the meetings of the association, which took pla-ce in the Hotel Botánico. They included the regular meeting of the AIZA Board, on which Loro Parque is represented, and the annual meetings of the education and veterinary working groups. The programme of the educator’s included significant discussions about the evaluation of educational efforts, and the guest speaker was Dr Steven Yalowitz, an Audience Resear-ch Specialist from the Monterrey Bay Aquarium, California, USA. About the educational work in Loro Parque, Dr Javier Almunia gave a presentation on ‘strategies for communica-tion and environmental awareness using new technologies’, and demonstrated the use of these in the Aula del Mar (Clas-sroom of the Sea) during the visit to Loro Parque of the parti

FITUR 2007FITUR 2007 was the first grand event in the annual calendar of the tourism sector. During five days of intense work, from 3�st January to 4th February, the most complete offer of com-panies and tourist destinations on the entire world was present in Madrid. Among them, Loro Parque and the future Siam Park of Tenerife had a very strong and impressive presence.

cipants. The veterinarians had a varied programme, which in-cluded a discussion session about avian flu and its continuing implications for the zoos of AIZA. On behalf of Loro Parque, Dr Sara Capelli gave a presentation on a clinical case of aGentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) involving gastroscopy and gastrostomy, and our veterinary team gave the meeting participants a tour of the clinic during their visit to the park

Mr and Mrs Kiessling and the Loro Parque team in front of our exposition in FITUR

LORO PARQUE hosts meetings of

Councillor Berriel in the La Vera breeding centreCoinciding with his attendance at the XXIX Working Session of the Environmental Authorities, the Councillor for Environ-ment and Territorial Planning of the Canary Islands’ Govern-ment, Mr Domingo Berriel Martínez took the opportunity to make a visit to the parrot breeding centre of the Loro Parque Fundación in La Vera. He was accompanied by Dr Juan Carlos Moreno Moreno, Director General of Environmental Policy, and both were given a tour of the facilities by Mr Wolfgang Kiessling, President of the LPF, accompanied by several sta-ff members. Mr Kiessling explained to his attentive visitors how the centre came into being, and its absolute international importance as a genetic reserve of parrots, and for the conser-vation of threatened species. The Councillor and his Director General were shown many of the details of the centre, for them to have the best appreciation of the scientific activities and professional management of the birds which take place.

Mr Kiessling explains various aspects of the breeding centre to Councillor Berriel and Mr. Juan Carlos Moreno.


�� Nº 84- March 2007

Big sensation: a new Spix’s Macaw has hatchedIf in the entire world no more than 72 members of a spe-cies exist, the birth of number 73 is a sensation. If on top of this the species has become extinct in the wild, and only exists in captivity, the sensation is even more spectacular.With the little Spix’s Macaw that has hatched from the egg literally a few days ago, the Loro Parque Fun-dación has met with fundamental success in the bree-ding of the world’s rarest parrot species, which has be-come a symbol for all parrots in danger of extinction.Naturally, the small him - or her, given that its sex cannot yet be determined, is not conscious of how important it al-ready is with so few days of life. Having left the most scru-tinised egg in the world with a weight of �4.4 grams, this miniature ball of down has already managed to double its weight and eats with gusto its food consisting of cereal porridge, vitamins, enzymes and egg-white. Not to run un-necessary risks, the Loro Parque Fundación keeper team is raising the chick by hand, giving him all possible affection.This chick increases the hope of bird breeders and con-servationists to take care of and protect nature world-wide, sharing the dream to be able to reintroduce the ele-gant Spix’s Macaw to its natural habitat in the caatinga of Brazil in the not-too-distant future. The Loro Parque Fundación leads this project after multiple breeding suc-cesses and many years of experience with this species.

Presentation of the educational programme of LORO PARQUE for the course of 2006/2007

Loro Parque Fundación News

The President of the Government of the Canary Islands is member of honour of the Loro Parque FundaciónWe are delighted to gives the news that the President of the Canary Islands’ Government, Mr. Adán Martín Menis is a member of honour of the Loro Parque Fundación, ha-ving accepted the invitation from the President of LPF, Mr. Wolfgang Kiessling. Mr. Martín shares this honour with Her Majesty Queen Sirikit of Thailand and Don. Luís Alfonso of Borbón and Martínez-Bordiú, Duke of Anjou. Accepting the invitation, Mr. Martín wrote “the outstanding and accredi-ted trajectory of Loro Parque Fundación, in the defence of nature and the environment and, especially, in the conserva-tion of different species of parrots and their habitats, accords completely with determined role of the Government of the Canary Islands for the defence and protection of the environ-ment, being reason why I am very pleased to participate and that, as President of the Government of the Canary Islands, accept with great pleasure the participation of this presiden-cy in the Fundación as an honorary member of the same.

LORO PARQUE expands its educational offer with inno-vations such as a computer room for children and projects for rescued turtles. On �6 of October �006 a presentation of the educational projects of LORO PARQUE for the course of 2006/2007 took place in the “Aula del Mar” of LORO

PARQUE..This event was attended by the General Director of Educational Promotion of the Canarian Government, Dr. Rafael Juan González, the General Sub-director of Caja Ma-drid, Ignacio Soria, Head of Communication for CEPSA in the Canary Islands, Belén Machado, the General Administra-tor of LORO PARQUE S.A., Wolfgang Kiessling, and the Head of education of the Loro Parque Fundación, Dr. Javier Almunia. On the occasion of the official initiation of the edu-cational activities in the new computer room for environmen-tal education, called the “Aula de los Cetáceos” (Cetacean Classroom), sponsored by Caja Madrid and CEPSA, the educational projects which will be part of the courses were presented. Of these projects, one can underline the cultural interchange between students from the Canary Islands and Venezuela, to increase awareness of the importance of co-operation for development (United for Development), and an awareness programme about the environmental problems of the sea by working with rescued turtles (The Sea of the Tur-tles).


�3Nº 84- March 2007

LPF News/La Vera Breeding CentreAs the breeding season �006 approached its end, we were surprised by a special pair of Parrots with, for this season, an unexpected clutch. At the end of October, a pair of Pesquet´s Parrots (Psittrichas fulgidus) laid two eggs, which both tur-ned out to be fertile. Because in the past this pair bred twice unsuccessfully (the eggs were damaged during incubation or they died off) we decided to put them into the incubator after approximately 14 days of incubation. On the 24th of Novem-ber the first tiny Pesquet´s Parrot hatched out independently. It had a weight of �9.�g and it was very lively. The offered feed was accepted immediately. By the 6th day the chick had do-ubled its weight at hatching. Only one day after the first chick hatched out, the second chick began to cheep inside the egg, but it did not prick the eggshell. This state continued for two days. The chick cheeped louder and louder but still did not begin to prick. Therefore we decided to administer some hatching help. We opened a monitoring window of �mm at the blunt end of the egg and put some liquid (Ringer-Lactate- Dilution) into the egg. We repeated this several times and the chick revived markedly. Some hours later, the egg had been pricked from inside and the next morning the chick hatched independently. It was a pleasure to have two young Pesquet´s Parrots whi-ch, because of being raised together, will automatically so-cialise with each other. Recently hatched Pesquet´s Parrots have a dense flumage which is a sign that they also live in higher areas. In New Guinea this species of parrot appears in mountain forests between 600 and �.000 m above sea le-vel. In the zoos of the world, Pesquet´s Parrots are absolute

News from the LPF parrot colletionspecies, like a lot of other green Aratinga species, were im-ported in big quantities but there were never many interes-ted breeders, so that we know of few breeding successes.

Today this conure species is rare in captivity, and a value on breeding them should be set, or we run the risk that this species will sooner or later disappear from the aviaries of breeders because no birds will be imported from the wild. The LPF had the best start to the New Year, because the on the 4th of January at 8.30 a.m. a Spix´s Macaw (Cya-nopsitta spixii) hatched. We were lucky to be present and could record the event with a video camera. The video can be seen directly via the internet on our homepage: www.lo-roparque-fundacion.org.Thus, the little Spix´s Macaw ope-ned the 2007 breeding season very early.Since putting to-gether the breeding pair of Spix´s Macaw in January 2004, it is the fourth chick that has been bred. Usuallythe fema-le lays only one egg, as it did this time. The female incu-bated the egg herself, until the chick pricked the egg, and so one day before hatching it was put into the incubator where it hatched itself and without any problems. Nowthe chick is being hand-reared to avoid any complication. It is developing magnificently, and at 37 days old it weighed �88 g, �0 times heavier than its hatch weight of �4.4 g. In December we received a male Uvea Horned Parakeet (Eunymphicus cornutus uveaensis) from the German pa-rrot breeder Paul Hahn. With this additional bird, the three existing birds at the LPF have now formed two pairs, and in February for the first time in the history of the LPF, Uvea Horned Parakeet chicks were hatched. During the first days the young birds were excellently nourished by their parents until we found, some days later, two dead youngsters with bite wounds in the nest box. The third three day-old chick also had bite wounds to his head but was still alive. We remo-ved him immediately and brought him to the Baby Station of Loro Parque to be hand-reared. The little bird has recovered greatly, and is now growing with loving care from its kee-pers. These rare parakeets are highly threatened in the wild.For the twenty episodes of the television serial „Humans, ani-mals and doctors“ from the German television channel VOX in �006, in which Loro Parque has been involved, we recei-vedvery positive responses and congratulations. Thank you very much! Now 10 additional episodes of the serial have been

Young Cordilleran Conure and Head-keeper Pedro.

Young Uvea Horned Parakeet.

rarities, breeding only rarely succeeding, which makes us all the more happy about our latest results. In January the chicks weighed about 500g each, and the first red plumes were appearing on the densely plumed chicks. They have a great appetite and do not calm down until their crops are filled. Our Cordilleran Conures (Aratinga wagleri frontata) presented a further surprise. For the first time in the history of Loro Parque a chick of this species has been raised , with its parents looking after it affectionately. In the past this


�4 Nº 84- March 2007

LPF News/ La Vera Breeding Centre recorded, and are expected to be broadcast from the middle until the end of February 2007, daily at 17.00h on VOX. The two Lear’s Macaw (Anodoryhnchus leari) pairs, whi-ch the LPF received in November �006 from Sao Paolo Zoo, permission of the Brazilian conservation authori-ty IBAMA, have now left the quarantine station and have moved into big aviaries in the breeding center at La Vera. In order to create natural surroundings for them, the back wall of the aviary has been covered with reddish artificial rocks, like the cliffs of the caatinga in Brazil. The cliff ho-les are frequented by the Lear’s Macaws every day to sleep, and are used as breeding dens during the reproductive sea-son. The artificial dens have been designed with two big ho-les, at the end of which you will find two big wooden bree-ding boxes which will be used as future breeding cavities. The Keas (Nestor notabilis) regularly start breeding at the beginning of every year. This year, both pairs have laid fertile eggs and four chicks have already hatched. Also the Lories have given us the first remarkable chicks: besi-des the first Brown Lory (Chalcopsitta duivenbodei) also a Yellow-streaked Lory (Chalcopsitta sintillata), two Ra-inbow Lories (Trichoglossus haematodus deplanchii), Red-flanked Lorikeets (Charmosyna placentis) and Co-llared Lories (Phigys solitarius). The Galahs (Eolophus-roseicapilla) at present have three eggs being incubated. From the parrot breeder Martin Guth of Berlin we recei-ved a male St Vincent Amazon (Amazona guildingii) for cooperative breeding. As until now our pair has always produced infertile eggs the new male with the producti-ve female should assure us better results. Now these two St. Vincent Amazons have been moved into huge plan-ted breeding aviaries in the breeding center at La Vera and we hope that the two of them will soon be together.

Lear’s Macaw at home on the rock-face.

Fundación, biologist Rafael Zamora made a presentation which offered a panoramic view of diverse techniques for parrots management: environmental enrichment, design of cages and nests, methods of prevention and hygiene in the breeding centre, techniques of support for assisted hatchings.

IV Encounter for Psittaculture

On the �0th and ��st of January in Barcelona the IV Encoun-ter for the breeding and keeping of parrots took place. Fra-med within the “XX International Exhibition-competition of breeds Ciutat de Valls”, the encounter has become the point of reference professionals of the sector, and has allowed the sha-ring of experiences, acquisition of new theoretical knowled-ge, and the making of new commercial contacts. Again, the congress was sponsored by the company Psittacus Catalonia, counting on the support of organizations like the Loro Par-que Fundación. Speakers from diverse disciplines shared their knowledge and representing Loro Parque and Loro Parque

Happy PuffinsOur colony of Atlantic Puffins (Fratercula arctica) is deve-loping very well in its own exhibit in Planet Penguin. The beak coloration of the young birds brought from Iceland in 2002 has become very bright, and the first eggs were laid last year. They were infertile, as is usually the case for first breeding in the wild as well as in captivity, but we are very interested to see what will happen this year. We noticed that the sex ratio of the birds was very uneven, and so last summer we brought 60 more young birds (thus reducing the hunter’s quota in Iceland) to join the colony. These additional birds have settled-in very well and, although they will not start to breed for three or four years, they can learn what to do by ob-serving their older companions. Visitors can easily tell them apart, because they lack the bright colours on their beaks..


�5Nº 84- March 2007

Project UpdateLoro Parque Fundación – American Fe-deration of Aviculture Joint Award 2007:

Nest-box Programme to help protect the Critically Endangered Blue-throated Macaw in Bolivia.

To integrate with the existing Asociación Armonía/Loro Par-que Fundación Blue-throated Macaw (Ara glaucogularis) Conservation Programme supported by the LPF, the 2007 joint award of the AFA and LPF will sustain a nest-box pro-gramme in the wild for this species. Competition for suitable tree nesting cavities appears to limit the populations of hole-nesting birds in lowland Bolivian savannahs of Beni, inclu-ding the Blue-throated Macaw. Many suitable nest-holes in Beni have been lost because of burning, cattle trampling, and destruction by illegal trappers after macaw chicks. In Beni there are around 30 cavity-nesting species and Blue-throated Macaws might be out-competed for suitable sites by larger species, especially Blue-and-yellow Macaws (A. ara-rauna).

In 2005, 20 nest-boxes were installed, designed with a hole similar in shape and size to that of a successful Blue-throated macaw nest. They were placed close to known Blue-throa-ted Macaw breeding and roosting sites, and attached to the trunks of palms favoured by this species. In the �005–�006 season, 18 of the 20 boxes were used, 13 by Blue-and-ye-llow Macaws, and one by Blue-throated Macaws which laid two eggs. The Blue-throated Macaw nest was unsuccessful, possibly because of predation. To reduce the possibility that nest boxes will help the more aggressive species, there will be more experimentation with designs that favour Blue-throa-ted Macaws. In the 2006/2007 season a pair of Blue-throated Macaws laid three eggs in a new nest-box, and a single young was produced. The project will continue to examine the di-fferent characteristics of the nest-boxes, their orientation and the characteristics of their immediate surroundings to increa-se the success of use by Blue-throated Macaws.Funding for this project in 2007: AFA and LPF each US$�,500.

Testing of a recombinant vaccine against Psittacine Beak and Feather DiseaseThis project was conducted by Dr. Reimar Johne of the University of Leipzig (now at the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment), to test a recombinantly produced antigen as a vaccine against psittacine beak and feather disease. A key aspect was to develop an animal model by infecting budge-rigars with purified psittacine beak and feather disease virus (PBFDV), in which the potential vaccine could be tested. Pre-parations were made to set up the animal model, including the acquisition, purification and characterisation of PBFDV for infection, production of antigen for immunisation, and testing of budgerigars for their suitability to serve as labo-ratory animals. PBFDV and antigen were successfully pre-pared. Problems occurred with the procurement of suitable budgerigars, because testing of many of the available avia-ries revealed field infections with PBFDV. Finally PBFDV-negative budgerigars were hatched and used in an infection model using three different PBFDV strains. As typical cli-nical signs of PBFDV infection could not be observed, it was concluded that the model is not suitable for testing pro-tection against the PBFDV-induced disease by a vaccine. However, the project provided the follo-wing new insights into PBFDV infection: (i) An unexpectedly wide distribution of PBFDV in-fections in budgerigars in Europe was found. (ii) The majority of the field infections in budgerigars were sub-clinical, implying a role for this species as vi-rus reservoir and source of infection for other parrots. (iii) Experimental infection showed that virus isolates origi-nating from different bird species were able to infect budgeri-gars, which argues against a species-specificity of this virus. (iv) Analysis of virus distribution within the experi-mentally infected budgerigars showed that feathers are the sample of choice for testing a bird for PBFDV.(v) Although no clinical signs were observed after expe-rimental infection of budgerigars, infection and virus re-plication could be shown in the budgerigar model; the-refore, this model may be used in a modified version for testing of protection against PBFDV infection by a vaccine.

Funding for this project in 2005/2006: 10,000 euros.

Chick and egg of Blue-throated Macaws in nest-box in Beni.

LPF funding of Blue-throated Macaw conser-vation in 2007: 81,500 euros


�6 Nº 84- March 2007

Red-tailed Amazons nest in bromeliads and PVC pipes!

For more than a decade, the Loro Parque Fundación has been supporting activities for the conservation of the wild popula-tion of the Red-tailed Amazon (Amazona brasiliensis) in the lowland Atlantic rainforest of Sao Paulo and Paraná States in south-east Brazil. The efforts are showing success, and the threat category of the species has been reduced from Endan-gered to Vulnerable. The majority of the population, currently estimated at 6,600 birds, occurs in Paraná, where the bree-ding takes place on the low, forested islands along the coast-line. The forest is susceptible to disturbance, especially from tourism development and the cutting of the favoured nesting trees of this parrot. Therefore, the LPF supports the Resear-ch Organization for Wildlife and Environmental Education (SPVS - Sociedade de Pesquisa em Vida Selvagem e Edu-cação Ambiental) to monitor and protect its breeding sites.

Although their relative abundance in the forest is low, the Guanandi trees (Calophyllum brasiliense) are most important for nesting mainly due to their larger size. It has been found that 60% of the nests of Red-tailed Amazons are in trees with a DBH (diameter at breast height) are between 3� and 48 cm. Also, 64% of the nests have been found in live trees. Un-fortunately, these larger trees are the most likely to be cut and removed from the forest for timber products. In addition, every year natural nests collapse due to the heavy rains in the region, and are often unusable, although the SPVS team can repair some. One sign of the shortage of nest-cavities in trees is that some Red-tailed Amazons have been found nesting in bromeliads, the spiky epiphytic plants clinging to the trees. The parrots choose the giant Vrisea bromeliads, and com-press the internal leaves to form a “cavity” where the plant joins the tree trunk. The SPVS team first found such a nest in �999, and since then one or two nests each breeding season. A bromeliad nest with three eggs was found this year producing two chicks, but it fell after heavy rain. Luckily it was possible to foster the chicks to other nest, one natural and one artifi-cial, and they survived.

Installing nest-boxes is the other way to deal with the shorta-ge of nest sites. SPVS has been installing conventional wo-oden nest-boxes for some years, and these have been com-paratively successful. However, the Red-tailed Amazon is a species with naturally high levels of predation and other causes of nest failure, both in natural nests and in the wooden nest-boxes. In the wet climate, the latter quickly decay and their condition can contribute to egg and chick losses. The-refore, for the most recent breeding season the SVPS team installed experimental nests made from PVC plastic pipes to resist the climatic conditions. Of the four PVC nests installed, three were occupied, one with a single chick and two each with three chicks, indicating the acceptance of the nests made of this material by Red-tailed Amazons. On the basis of this success, more of these PVC nests will now be installed.

Funding for this project in 2007: 21,995 euros

Design of PVC nest and Bromelia in Tree

Nestlings in PVC pipe

Eggs of Red-tailed Amazon in bromeliad “cavity”


17Nº 84- March 2007

Wild El Oro Parakeets jump into nest-boxes

Since �00� the Loro Parque Fundación has been supporting activities for the conservation of the threatened El Oro Pa-rakeet (Pyrrhura orcesi) in the Buenaventura Reserve owned by Fundación Jocotoco in Ecuador, where the species is en-demic. The main threats to the survival of the El Oro Parakeet are the loss and increasing fragmentation of its natural forest habitat. The project has a strong component of environmental education with schools and community groups of the region, as well as establishing basic biological information about this species, helping to expand the area of the reserve, and its refo-restation. As a result we know much more about the small po pulation (�60-�80 individuals) of P. orcesi which lives in the reserve and surrounding areas, and better ways to conserve it. Reforesting the area is a long-term commitment, but we also know that existing forest has been selectively logged. Groups of El Oro Parakeets use natural cavities for breeding (coopera-tively, with helpers at the nest), and for roosting at night. One sign that suitable trees might be scarce is that active nests have been found in isolated trees in open pasture and at the forested-ge. These nests are more exposed to predation, especially by Crimson-rumped Toucanets (Aulacorhynchus haematopygus).

Thus the project decided to install nest-boxes to increase safe nesting possibilities. This coincided with a training course for forest guards and researchers about migratory bird mo-nitoring, hosted by Fundación Jocotoco at the Buenaventura Reserve, supported by the American Bird Conservancy, and also involving people from other organisations, including Alonso Quevedo of Fundación ProAves of Colombia. Also with the support of LPF, ProAves has obtained remarkable breeding results with nest-boxes for other threatened species of Pyrrhura endemic to Colombia, and so Alonso was able to demonstrate how to make successful nest-boxes for Pyrrhura parakeets. The El Oro Parakeet project promptly made and installed 39 boxes and already three are active with breeding P. orcesi, and there are high hopes that many more will be used.

Funding of the project to date: 40,350 euros

Conservation and sustainable use of pa-rrots in Cameroon

Throughout �006 the LPF supported this project to assess pa-rrot populations and trade levels in Cameroon, especially to determine if their trade can be sustainable, to explore alter-natives in wildlife resources management, and to inform na-tional wildlife policy. During this period the project has been able to monitor the effect in Cameroon of the EU temporary ban on importation of wild-caught birds. Dr Simon Tamun-gang writes that there are over �000 Grey Parrots in homes of private exporters in Cameroon and most of them have been in this condition for more than one year, with dwindling heal-th services and feeding conditions. Some simply want to cut their losses and release the birds which, if uncontrolled, could cause further problems. Dr Tamungang is considering a po-verty alleviation package for exporters who sign for alternati-ve jobs, controlled release of the parrots, and captive breeding possibilities. More about this in a future issue of Cyanopsitta.

Funding of the project to date: 23,333 euros

Nest-box construction team in the cloud-forest.

First exposure: El Oro Parakeet eggs in a nest-box

El Oro Parakeets check-out a nest-box.


�8 Nº 84- March 2007

Project UpdateConservation of the Grey-breasted Pa-rakeet, Brazil

This project aims to determine the present range of the hig-hly endangered Grey-breasted Parakeet (Pyrrhura griseipec-tus), in order to devise conservation strategies for this spe-cies. Until very recently considered to be a subspecies of the White-eared Parakeet (Pyrrhura leucotis), its status as a full species is now accepted. The previous taxonomic uncertainty resulted in lack of previous conservation action. It has been included since 2003 in the official list of endangered spe-cies of the Brazilian Ministry of Environment, listed under the category Critically Endangered. There is evidence from museum skins for only four localities (3 in Ceará and � in Pernambuco State), and another seven possible localities. By means of surveys in and near these localities, the project will produce a preliminary map to define the known range of the Gray-breasted Parakeet. Interviews will be conducted in each area with people living near the remaining patches of moist forest. This project will be an important step in devi-sing conservation strategies for this highly endangered and little known psittacid. It will be conducted by the Brazilian NGO Aquasis, with financial support from the LPF, the Zoo-logical Society for the Conservation of Species and Popu-lations (ZGAP), Chester Zoo and Act for Nature, Monaco.

Funding in 2007: 16,500 euros.

New Projects

Translocation of Kuhl’s Lory, Pacific islands

This project will translocate living specimens of Kuhl’s Lory (Vini kuhlii - also known as Rimatara Lorikeet or Kura) from Rimatara, Austral Islands, French Polynesia to the island of Atiu, so as to reintroduce this species to the Cook Islands. The LPF will support the Zoological Society of San Diego in this project, done in cooperation with the Ministry of Environ-ment, French Polynesia and Cook Islands Natural Heritage Department. V. kuhlii was formerly a native bird on most of the Southern Cook Islands, and was harvested for its small red feathers, used for adornments and ceremonial headdres-ses. It was probably extinct throughout the Southern Cook Islands by the time the Missionaries arrived in the �8�0s. Today it survives only on Rimatara, a small island southeast of Mangaia, and in the northern Line Islands, where it was introduced in historical times. It is Endangered (IUCN Re-dList) because of its small population and limited distribu-tion. In �000, the population size on Rimatara was estimated at 750 birds. The translocation will help to lessen the risk of extinction if Ship rats (Rattus rattus) invade Rimatara.


tera) will be studied in the Sierra de Bahoruco of the Domini-can Republic, Hispaniola. Threats to the populations will be assessed, including nest site competition from the probablyin-troduced Olive-throated Parakeet (Aratinga nana), hunting pressure and nest poaching, and annual habitat loss. Informa-tion will be collected on other threatened endemic birds re-sident in this region. The project also aims to have an educa-tion campaign, to create a volunteer parrot protection watch group, and to refurbish destroyed nesting cavities. The project will be conducted by the Hispaniola Ornithological Society.


Conservation of the Hispaniolan Parrot and Parakeet, Dominican Republic

To improve their conservation prospects, the ecology and cu-rrent distribution of the threatened Hispaniolan Parrot (Amazona ventralis) and Hispaniolan Parakeet (Aratinga chlorop

Kuhl’s Lory Vini kuhlii

Grey-breasted Parakeet Pyrrhura griseipectus.


�9Nº 84- March 2007

Significant advances in satellite teleme-try for parrots – the LPF 10,000 euros prizeDuring the past four years, and in relation to the project on reintroduced Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao) in Costa Rica, the LPF supported the development of satellite transmitter design that would withstand the strong beaks of macaws and other large parrots. To date, any transmitter used to track birds by satellite must have a free-standing (whip) antenna to transmit signals, and this is susceptible to destruction by any macaw or large parrot. North Star Science and Technology in the Uni-ted States took up the challenge and developed an exemplary prototype transmitter which has received good testing in cap-tivity and field, and is still being tested on macaws in Peru and Guatemala. Because of the need to use robust materials, as well as have a long operating life, the prototype transmit-ter has a weight suitable only for the largest macaws. Con-sidering that there are potentially many useful conservation

Protection of Aketajawe-Lolobata Na-tional Park and the endemic parrots of Halmahera, Indonesia

In the mid-�990s the LPF supported the BirdLife Interna-tional Indonesia Programme (now BirdLife Indonesia) in its survey of suitable habitats in the island of Halmahera to establish a protected area which would include the endemic parrot species, the White cockatoo (Cacatua alba) and the Chattering lory (Lorius garrulus). The project’s recommen-dations led the Government of Indonesia to establish ten years later the Aketajawe-Lolobata National Park. To make sure that this is not just a “paper park”, the new project in-tends to install a foundation of knowledge, management capacity and local stakeholder support for the long-term conservation of the park, and thereby secure this critically important area for endemic and threatened parrots. Imple-mented by BirdLife Indonesia, the project will be supported by LPF and the Association for the Protection of Threatened Parrots, Berlin (via the Zoological Society for the Conser-vation of Species and Populations - ZGAP), as matching funds to World Bank/Global Environment facility support.


Blood haematological and biochemical profiles in stranded loggerhead turtles

Every year, about �00 stranded or injured sea turtles are res-cued in the Canary Islands. The Tafira Rescue Centre in Gran Canaria handles most, and the La Tahonilla Rescue Centre in Tenerife some, but the facilities for marine fauna are in-sufficient to keep turtles for long periods. Since 1993 the Veterinary Faculty at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has undertaken the necropsies of stranded marine turtles which have died: survivorship of rescued animals is around 75%. This project, to be carried out in the Veterina-ry Faculty at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, aims to develop diagnostic tools based on the blood parame-ters (haematological and biochemical) of stranded turtles. Such a tool would give the veterinary staff at rescue cen-tres a rapid diagnosis of each animal and, as a consequence, the appropriate treatment could start faster and the survival rates of stranded turtles would increase. To develop those diagnostic tools, a relation between the blood parameters and the turtle injuries must be established. Most (97%) of stranded animals are Loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta), but Green turtles (Chelonia midas), Leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) and Hawksbill turtles (Eretmoche-lys imbricata) can also potentially benefit from these studies.


possibilities from the tracking of parrots by satellite, the Loro-Parque Fundación now offers a prize of �0,000 euros for sig-nificant advances in the design of satellite telemetry systems.

More information will soon be available from the LPF about this prize.

White Cockatoo Cacatua alba

Extraction of blood from a Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta)


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How to unite the conservation projects of the LPF with environmental education in

LORO PARQUE?

Children of a school in Fuerteventura

For a while now, the education department of the Loro Parque Fundación (LPF) has been looking for a way to combine our efforts in the conservation projects with the environmental education activities which we conduct with the school population of the Canary Islands. We have always been confident that this would strengthen the position of the LPF, and would make our efforts even better known beyond the international zoological community.

In this year of 2007 we are creating a connection through a new educational project called „United for development“ whose aim is to increase the awareness of Canarian students of the importance of cooperation for development. Thus, since beginning of January in different infant and primary education centres of the Canary

Islands, courses about cooperation for development organized by LPF are taking place. This programme is financed by the Commissioner of External Affairs of the Canarian Government and we have the collaboration of the shipping company Fred Olsen. During this course a display with different panels about interna-tional cooperation and sus-tained development is installed in the schools, using as example projects of LPF, such as the project of the Red-tailed Amazon in Brazil, the Yellow-eared Parrot in Colombia, the Yellow-shouldered Amazon in Venezuela, or the Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary in Thailand.

Thus, during all of one day, talks are offered to the students of the primary school so that they become familiar with the concepts of development, cooperation and sustainable life alternatives, using as examples the activities that LPF finances and supports worldwide. Between the �5th of January and the 6th of February

these activities took place in �0 different schools of El Hierro, La Palma, Lanzarote, Gran Canria, Fuerteventura and Tenerife.

But this is not all. In fact it is only the beginning. From now on the participating schools will initiate a series of activities guided by the department of education of LPF through our website. You will find under the following internet-address http://www.loroparque-fundación.org/wordpress a blog in which the students will introduce information about each of their Islands.

Thus, various school groups of Margarita Island (Venezuela) will do the same, guided by members of Provita who collaborate with LPF in this project. The blog will collect the contents produced by every

group in six different themes: the geography and physical environment, history, economics, culture and society, environment and alternatives for sustainable development.

The project seeks to involve directly the students of the Canary Islands and those of the Margarita Island, as they are meant to be the protagonists of the


��Nº 84- March 2007

Students of the Taibique School

Students in Margarita Island

Students in school in La Palma

9th German Language Parrot Workshop

From the 5th until the 12th of May 2007 the 9th German Language Parrot Workshop will be held in Loro Parque. The registration fee is �.�08 euros, for one person in a double room. The fee inclu-des: flight Germany-Tenerife–Germany (different departure airports in Germany can be chosen), Transfer Airport – Hotel – Airport, seven nights with breakfast in the five-star hotel Botánico in Puerto de la Cruz, welcome cocktail, gala dinner, workshop fee, incl. one year membership of Loro Parque Fundación. We will offer again a diversi-fied programme in collaboration with the biolo-gists and veterinarians of Loro Parque Fundación and also with external guest speakers. Also practi-cal aspects as well as a visit of the Loro Parque cli-nic, the parrot kitchen, the breeding centre La Vera as well as a general tour through the Loro Parque behind the scenes will not be missed. Registration and further information can be obtained in the edi-torial office of the magazine „PAPAGEIEN“ or via the internet at www.papageien.de.

interchange of information, always mediated and coordinated by professors/tutors. This interchange of information will be open; every single working group being able to choose the way they consider the most convenient depending on their circumstances. Thus, the information can be in writing (compositions, comments, summaries, biographies, classifications), visually (photos, pictures from books and/or documents, drawings, maps, web cam images), acoustic (music, spoken comments, etc.).

Depending on the compilation of the information of each group, it will be placed on the website accessible for all participants. This project will culminate at the beginning of June 2007, coinciding with the International week of Environment, when there will take place an “Inter-insular Development Day” in Loro Parque (Tenerife) to which representatives of every participating school will be invited. During this day, the most significant results developed by the schools will be presented and the different experiences communicated and compared. A simultaneous event will take place with the participants of Margarita Island.


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Rescue of fauna Since the last issue of Cyanopsitta, LORO PARQUE and Loro Parque Fundación have participated in the rescue and release of various injured specimens of species of marine fauna. Specifically, three new Loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta), which have been housed in the LORO PARQUE during the last stage of recuperation, have been released. The liberation took place during the activities of the educational project of Loro Parque Fundación, taking the opportunity to work with the secondary students on the threats to the marine environment. At each of the releases one group of secondary students attended, that previously had carried out educational activities in LORO PARQUE, and had seen turtles in recuperation. Two sea-birds have also arrived in LORO PARQUE, one Common tern (Sterna hirundo) and an Atlantic puffin (Fratercula artica), which concientious citizens had collected from the coasts of Tenerife. Both birds were very weak and showed signs of dehydration. After a couple of weeks of recuperation, the Common tern has been moved to the Tahonilla Fauna Recovery Centre, where the specialists of the Tenerife insular government will care for him until his release. Besides the animals mentioned, since September of last year there has also been a Hooded Seal (Cystophora cristata) under the care of the veterinarians of LPF, and the keepers of the penguins and marine mammals in the penguin quarantine. This seal appeared stranded on the beach at Laâyoune (Morocco) and LORO PARQUE requested the help of Pascual Calabuig, head of the Tafira Fauna Rescue Centre (Gran Canaria), in order to finance its transfer to the installations of LORO PARQUE. Our members will remember that in the year

The Hooded seal rescued in Morocco, just about to complete its recuperation in Loro Parque.

Examination of Common tern during its recuperation in Loro Parque.

Release of one of the turtles rehabilitated in Loro Parque, toge-ther with students of the Casa Azul school (Puerto de la Cruz).

�00� we collaborated in the rescue, recuperation and release of two other Hooded Seals (Majo and Guanche) that were stranded on the coasts of the Canarian Islands. After the complete recuperation of this new specimen, which had arrived practically dead, the ideal suitability of the penguin quarantine installations for the rescue of this species has once more been demonstrated.

To concluding with this issue of Cyanopsitta, it is planned to transfer the seal to another rescue centre in which it can stay some four months more until the necessary hair has grown for it to withstand the low temperatures of the sea in its area of distribution (the south part of the Arctic). Although our major desire would be to complete the recuperation of this specimen, the quarantine facilities are needed for housing the penguins due to repairs to the Planet Penguin exhibit.


�3Nº 84- March 2007

Sponsors and donors ofLoro Parque Fundación

Loro Parque is the Foundation’s prin-cipal sponsor. Therefore, the financial support provided by our sponsors, members and donors can be dedicated

�00% to the wide range of parrot and biodiversity conservation activities of Loro Parque Fundación.

Cumba, Vogelfreunde Achern, Cash and Carry, Emerencio e Hijos, Georg Fischer, Cita, Pakara, Rohersa, Cavas Catalanas, Cel-gán, Dialte, Frutas Cruz Santa, Alimentación y Distribuciones Sálamo, BANIF, Solveig Mittelhauser-Brown, Papageienfreunde Nord e.V., York Area Parrot Society, Malinda Chouinard, Abaxis, Chiclana Parrot, Club de Leones, Juan Luis García Rodolfo, Rocky Mountain Society of Aviculture, Bärbel & Klaus Binder, Surfilm – Taucho TV, Mark Hagen, Caroline Simmons, Luis y Guillén, Cerrajería La Asomada, Grúas Hnos. Pacheco, Parrot Society UK, Dutch Parrot Society, Rosemary Low, Carmen & Hubert Flasch, Garjor, Vogelfreunde Höchstadt e.V., Walter Zimmerman, Sufocan, Berlin Editions, Viajes Líder Canarias, Ten- Hoteles.

We want to thank to all our sponsors, donorsand other supporters


�4 Nº 84- March 2007

the newsletter of loro parque fundación · 2007. 8. 31. · the loro parque fundación, wolfgang...

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