Professional Documents
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It has its headquarters at Loro Parque, a first class zoological collection based on the island of
Tenerife, in the Canary Islands (Spain). The Loro Parque Fundación focuses on parrots, for
several good reasons. Parrots are found throughout the different tropical regions, where
biodiversity is highest and where environmental destruction is at its greatest. No other group of
birds contains such a high number of threatened species. Moreover, because of their beautiful
colours and appealing behaviour, parrots can be very effective "flagships" in increasing support
from local rural communities and attracting vital aid necessary for environmental and economic
improvements.
OBJECTIVE
To improve the conservation status of threatened parrots and their natural habitats.
To foster awareness about the need to protect parrots and general biodiversity, and enhance co-
operative networking, collaboration and capacity-building.
To support and conduct applied research programmes that improve our understanding of parrot
biology in every aspect.
To reduce the pressure exerted by trade on wild parrot populations, by supplying the demand
from aviculturists with sustainably-bred captive parrots.
As a first contribution to the Foundation, Loro Parque donated its world famous parrot collection
and committed itself to cover the costs for its management. The Foundation subsequently
became the leading force in the management of the parrot collection and the field conservation
projects that had previously been funded by Loro Parque. It enjoys the continuous financial
support of Loro Parque which guarantees that its running costs are entirely covered.
In 1995, the LPF employed its first Scientific Director, which led to the establishment of
guidelines and priorities for the selection and funding of parrot field conservation projects and
the conduct of captive research and education programmes. The year 1996 was marked by
several important events. Foremost, a generous donation by Her Majesty Queen Sirikit of
Thailand and her acceptance to become Honorary Member of LPF. Secondly, the founding of the
Advisory Board.
In 1997, a pilot re-introduction experiment designed to help future releases of captive-bred Spix
´s macaws, the world’s rarest bird, was initiated, with encouraging results throughout this and the
following year. In 1998, the LPF for the first time hosted the International Parrot Convention
(the three previous ones were hosted by Loro Parque), and was able to present to a wider
audience the marked increase of conservation activities it had supervised. At this occasion, the
new parrot breeding centre “La Vera” was also completed and inaugurated. Also in 1998
the activities of the Education Department were significantly increased with the employment of
an education specialist.
In 1999 and 2000, the Foundation’s facilities inside Loro Parque underwent renovation,
almost doubling in size with one new office and a dual function conference room and
library, to improve the opportunities for visiting researchers. For the first time, the number
of active conservation projects increased to more than ten. At the end of the year, the last wild
male Spix’s Macaw disappeared, which means that the species is now extinct in the wild.
In 2001, activity of the Permanent Committee for the Recovery of the Spix´s Macaw (CPRAA)
was suspended, and the former studbook keeper and coordinator of captive management
substituted. The Field Conservation programme was also suspended until proper measures
can be adopted by IBAMA (the Brazilian environmental authority) to create a new
structure which manages the field and breeding programmes. Also in this year the Yellow-
eared conure Conservation Project in Colombia delivered very successful results with the finding
of a second population in the Andean mountain range, raising the total known population to
almost 400 birds.
An exciting new educational project started in 2003, the "Aula del Mar" (classroom of the sea)
funded by Caja de Madrid. The educational activities also included the presentation of the
didactic video "Paco el Loro". In April the annual conference of the European Association of
Avian Veterinarians was hosted by Loro Parque and Fundación, to which the EAAV made a very
welcome donation. As part of the St Vincent parrot project, the LPF funded Dr Katherine
Herbert-Hackshaw, Chief Veterinary Officer of St Vincent to spend two months working with
the LPF parrot collection to get specialist training. The Fundación participated in giving lectures
and practicals to the Latin American students in the Masters Course in the Management of
Tropical Biodiversity, set up by the Fundación Carolina, the Friends of Coto Doñana Foundation
and the University of San Pablo CEU. The latest addition to the Advisory Board was Dr Wolf
Michael Iwand, Environment Director for TUI AG, the major tourism company which is a donor
to the LPF. The Fundación also hosted a meeting of BirdLife International's Rare Bird Club, of
which Mr Kiessling is a member. In the parrot collection, the first breeding was recorded of the
Marajo Yellowheaded Amazon (Amazona ochrocephala xantholaema), and three Red Shining
Parrots (Prosopeia tabuensis) came in from Tonga. The end of year total for chicks reared was
1,375 of 171 different taxa.
In October 2003, Loro Parque and Fundación hosted the workshop "Integration of Sustainable
Tourism and the Conservation of Fauna Ex situ", organised jointly with the Institute for
Responsible Tourism. Also in October, the Fundación attended the St Vincent Parrot meeting,
where it was nominated Secretary of the St Vincent Parrot Conservation Consortium. The LPF
funded the new Spix's Macaw Recovery Plan written by Yves de Soye, and Yara Barros of
IBAMA. Furthermore, the LPF Veterinary Director, Dr Lorenzo Crosta travelled to Sao Paulo
Zoo with our possibly infertile male, checked the health and reproductive status of the Spix's
Macaws in the zoo, and returned with a replacement male. This check included Presley, the male
which had been discovered in the USA and repatriated to Brazil, and whose condition had much
improved. 2003 finished on a high note as the Loro Parque Fundación became a member of the
IUCN.
In 2004, the 10th anniversary year brought an event that had not happened since 1992. The new
male Spix's macaw from Sao Paulo was put together with the female in January and they formed
a strong bond from the beginning. The next month the female laid eggs, one of which was fertile
and hatched to produce a female chick which has now fledged and is very healthy. Moreover, the
pair bred again in October, producing another healthy female chick. Amidst this excitement we
welcomed once again the Masters Course in Tropical Biodiversity Management, and were
running an education projects competition for schools. We also welcomed the VIII Congress of
the Spanish Federation of Popular Universities, which were in Tenerife in April. In this same
month, Lorenzo Crosta returned to Brazil and again checked the Spix's Macaws, plus 31 Lear's
Macaws in the Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro zoos. We were also informed that the Al Wabra
Wildlife Preservation had acquired the Spix's Macaws held previously by Roland Messer in
Switzerland and Antonio de Dios in the Philippines (a total of 42 birds). Given the LPF's good
relations with Al Wabra, and the serious conservation intent of the latter in comparison to former
holders, the signs are looking much better for proper management of the captive birds. These
aspects were discussed at the meeting of the Spix's Macaw Working Group held in Brazil in
December, and attended by Christoph Kiessling and David Waugh from the LPF.
In June 2004, the Fundación presented examples of its activities at the II EAZA Conservation
Conference in Angers, France, and in July it participated in the Universal Forum of Cultures in
Barcelona. This consisted of a promotional stand, and a formal presentation in the Dialogue on
Tourism, Cultural Diversity and Sustainability, as well as an accompanying poster also dealing
with the theme of sustainable tourism and zoological parks. Also in July, we were delighted by
the visit of H.R.H. Princess Galyani of Thailand to Loro Parque and to the LPF Breeding Centre.
In the following month the LPF had a very positive presence at the main avicultural event in
North America, the annual conference of the American Federation of Aviculture. 2004 has also
been a year for continuing our traditional involvement in the conservation of cetaceans. We are
supporting the work of Dr Boris Culik who is testing with wild Harbour Porpoises (Phocoena
phocoena) the possibilities to promote avoidance of fishing nets by these and other species, and
therefore reduce mortality as a result of by-catch. There were two more LPF Parrot Workshops
held in 2004, and it was again another record year for breeding in the parrot collection, with a
total of 1,458 ringed young parrots, an increased of 6% from 2003.
The agreement by the LPF Board, at its meeting in October 2004, to allocate a record 500.000
euros to conservation activities in the next year is a tremendous endorsement of the achievements
which have been made over the past decade. With almost 6 million euros in reserve, the finances
of the Fundación are in good health, a trend which must be continued if we are to double our
achievements in the next ten years.
BREEDING FACILITIES
La Vera is located on the site of an old banana plantation only a few kilometres south of
Loro Parque, and occupies an area of 17,000 m2. It now houses the majority of the genetic
reserve, apart from those which are on public exhibition at Loro Parque. The climate on the
island favours a prolific vegetation growth, such that each aviary is surrounded by lush
subtropical fruit trees and ornamental plants, recreating an almost natural environment.
In the course of the past breeding season, we have systematically incorporated additional
management techniques and infrastructures to provide birds with an as «near-to-nature»
environment as possible, duplicating the seasonal changes in nature and thus obtaining
better breeding results. Various new kinds of nestboxes were offered to those species whose
breeding results had not been satisfactory in the past, in an attempt to cover the variety of nest
preferences that exist for each species.
All birds bred at our facility are closed-banded in close co-operation with the authorities of
CITES.
2. Agapornis fischeri
3. Agapornis lilianae
4. Agapornis nigrigenis
5. Agapornis personata
6. Agapornis pullaria
7. Agapornis roseicollis
8. Agapornis taranta
9. Alisterus a. dorsalis
Loro Parque Fundación always wishes to improve the balance of its collection. Therefore, we
would kindly ask all parrot breeders who hold species and subspecies whose scientific names are
not listed on the above mentioned stock list to contact us.