PARROTS INTERNATIONAL

The Crown Jewel of Puerto Rico

by Dr. Mark L. Stafford

High above the pristine beaches of Puerto Rico survives the rarest parrot in the wild, The Puerto Rican Parrot. Only 34 Puerto Rican Parrots (Amazona vitatta) now exist in the wild. All are restricted to a small area of the Caribbean National Forest, locally known as the El Yunque Rainforest. Here the Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Program (PRPRP) of the US Fish and Wildlife Service is struggling to bring these birds back from the brink of extinction.

The Puerto Rican Parrot is the only endemic parrot found within the United States and its territories and is one of the ten most endangered birds in the world.

Upon the arrival of Columbus to Puerto Rico in 1493, the Puerto Rican Parrot numbered approximately a million birds. By the 1930’s that number had reduced to approximately 2000 birds. By 1954 to an estimated 200 birds. By 1964 to 70 birds.

Then, due a multitude of factors the population decreased to 24 birds in less than three years. Incredibly, in 1975, the total population had reduced to only 13 individuals as a result of massive deforestation by humans, predation by introduced and natural enemies, and natural disasters. The parrot population has suffered severely due the deforestation of 99% of the original parrot habitat on the island of Puerto Rico. The severe deforestation is a result of logging and land clearing for agriculture and urbanization.

In 1967 the Puerto Rican Parrot was designated an endangered species and in 1968 intensive recovery efforts were begun. In 1973 the Luquillo Aviary was established within the Caribbean National Forest and a captive breeding program was initiated. That breeding flock was later split and a portion moved to a second aviary in Rio Abajo at the opposite end of the island to prevent the catastrophic loss of the entire captive flock due to a catastrophic hurricane or disease

Disastrous hurricanes have taken their toll. By 1988, through the efforts of the Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Program, the wild population had climbed to 46 birds. Then next year, on September 18^th, 1989, Hurricane Hugo struck and reduced the wild population by half, to 20-23 birds.

Due to the captive breeding efforts of the Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Program 161 Puerto Rican Parrots now live in the two breeding aviaries. This year the Luquillo Aviary successfully raised 10 chicks, for a total of 58 within the captive breeding program, and the Rio Abajo aviary now has a total of 103. Each year since May of 2000 select individual captive reared parrots have been trained and released into the wild population. A total of 40 parrots have been released so far:

· 10 parrots in 2000

· 16 parrots in 2001

· 9 parrots in 2002

· 5 parrots in 2004

All releases have been into the tiny existing wild population in the El Yunque area of the Caribbean National Forest. The first year survival estimates for the first three release years is 41%. The radio transmitters used to track the release birds only last about one year due to the tiny size of the transmitter and battery. So far three out of the five birds released in 2004 (61%) have survived the dangers of the wild. The relatively high first year success rate shows that these birds have been well trained to forage and survive in the wild prior to their release from the training aviary. The biggest enemy of the young released parrots has proven to be the resident Red Tailed Hawks. About one half of all deaths of wild Puerto Rican Parrots have been due to Red Tailed Hawks.

The present Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Program is supervised by Fernando Nunez Garcia of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The program enlists 12 full time employees, four of which are biologists, as well as many volunteers. The entire project has an annual budget close to $1 million.

The Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Program is divided into three interrelated teams:

· The Luquillo Aviary team, headed by Jafet Velez-Valetin, M.S. is responsible for the captive breeding program. Here Puerto Rican Amazons are bred and nurtured for eventual release in the wild. Additionally, any birds requiring medical attention from the aviary or the wild can be treated at the on site veterinary operatory.

The Luquillo Aviary raised the original birds that were transferred in 1993 to the start the Rio Abajo Aviary run under the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental.

· The Field Team, headed by Wilfredo Abreu, a biological technician, is responsible for monitoring and protecting the wild nests, installing artificial nest boxes in the wild and conducting the wild population census. Wilfredo’s team will often head into the field by 4:00 am, before the rainforest awakes, and guard the active nests until 8:00 pm, well after dark….sixteen hours days, seven days a week, for weeks and weeks until the last chick safely fledges. If Wilfredo’s team needs to rescue an egg or bird it is taken to the Luiquillo Aviary for recovery.

This year there was a total of 5 active nests in the wild with total of 14 eggs, of which 12 were fertile and 11 hatched. A total of 7 fledged, of which 2 were later lost to hawks and 1 died from unknown causes. So far four young 2004 babies are flying with their wild parents.

· The Release Team, The Third Team, headed by Dr. Thomas White, PhD, develops and implements strategic plans for the release of the captive bred parrots into the wild population and the subsequent telemetry studies of radio collared birds. It is due to Dr. White’s population studies and telemetry that accurate assessments of the 2004 babies’ whereabouts can be monitored. If telemetry shows a bird isn’t moving around the valley as it should, Dr. White fights his way through the thick jungle to find it, hoping he gets to it before a predatory mongoose. s

It is conceivable that a single powerful hurricane could eliminate the entire wild population of Puerto Rican Parrots as they are all restricted to a single mountainous valley on the eastern end of Puerto Rico…directly in the path of any approaching tropical hurricane. For this reason an exciting huge release is being planned by Dr. White for 2006 into the more protected Karst region on the opposite end of the island. “The hope is to establish a second, completely new and independent flock of wild Puerto Rican Amazons.”

Despite this amazing effort there are still unanswered questions. Dr. White states a desire to: “find a way to increase the numbers of breeding pairs in the wild...this has been a perennial mystery since historically the numbers of breeding birds doesn't track increases in total population...” Although the total number of birds in the wild has increased, the number actually breeding in the wild has not shown a commensurate gain.

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When asked what he would say, if granted one wish for the Puerto Rican Amazon, Supervisor Fernando Nunez Garcia stated: “A new breeding facility to replace the aging Luquillo Aviary.” “The Service considers the relocation of the Luquillo aviary one of the highest priorities in the recovery efforts.” Fernando is hoping for funds to construct a new aviary in a lowland climate that is more conducive to parrot breeding.

The crux of the Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Program has centered on the old and outdated Luquillo breeding facility. The Luquillo breeding facility was originally an emergency, stop-gap, creation in an old army building converted for parrot breeding. That was decades ago, in 1973. At that time it was the only government structure within the Caribbean National Forest (and within the habitat of the wild population) available to the Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Program. It was never originally intended to be a breeding facility, let alone the breeding facility responsible for saving the rarest parrot in the wild. The FWS Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Program has requested funding to relocate the breeding facility.

At this time it is obvious that the original converted dilapidated army building, and its present site in a harsh area of the Caribbean National Forest of Puerto Rico, is not suitable as a definitive breeding facility to save the parrot from extinction. Numerous problems have been identified with the present dilapidated building and site:

The present site is within the Highlands, the harshest, most rainy and humid, area of the Caribbean National Forest highlands. The conditions at this highland site are therefore not conducive to successful parrot breeding. The unfavorable temperatures and humid conditions favor the proliferation of fungus and bacteria within the breeding aviary site, leading to death, failure and illness of the young parrots. Moving the breeding facility to the proposed lowland site will create a favorable environment for successful parrot breeding.

The present stop-gap building, originally a WW II era building, is badly deteriorating.

The present breeding facility, due to its remote site in the rainiest portion of the island, is often completely isolated by landslides and rains. Access and communications to the facility are often lost due to the frequent heavy rains and landslides. Power failures due to storms and falling trees is the norm rather than the exception creating havoc and jeopardizing incubation and veterinary care.

The new aviary and location at the lower altitude is closer to the altitude and environmental conditions preferable to the Puerto Rican Parrot before it became so endangered and before its range became restricted to higher altitudes due to habitat loss and deforestation.

To this end Parrots International, has worked to promote funding for the construction of the new aviary. The cost of construction of the new Luiquillo Aviary was estimated to cost $2.5 - 3 million. Of this amount the USFWS has promised $1.5 million in matching funds. Many corporate and private citizens rose to the occasion to raise the matching funds for the new aviary. The Puerto Rican non-profit organization Herencia donated the lion's share, with additional funds from the Puerto Rican Conservation Trust, Walmart and Parrots International. In May 2005 the United States Fish and Wildlife Foundation honored each of the fundraising partners at a formal celebration in the LBJ Room of the United States Capital Building.

Mark Stafford, President of Parrots International, accepting the USFWS

Puerto Rican Parrot Partnership Award at the US Capital

The new lower altitude aviary, to be dedicated on April 26, 2007, will provide better environmental and logistical possibilities for the successful breeding for the Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Program. Since breeding of this captive population is crucial to the recovery effort, the relocation of the aviary will be a major step in saving the Puerto Rican Parrot from extinction.

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On November 19, 2007, the anniversary of the discovery of Puerto Rico by Columbus in 1493, a historic release of 22 Puerto Rican Parrots was made on the opposite end of the island in the Karst Region of Puerto Rico. This release occurred at the Rio Abajo Aviary, the sister aviary to the Luquillo, managed by the Puerto Rican Department of Natural Resources (PR-DNER). The Rio Abajo Aviary, under the project guidance of Iván C. Llerandi Román, has been prolific in captive rearing Puerto Rican Parrots. This historic release will hopefully establish an entirely new wild flock of Puerto Rican Parrots. This second flock will provide insurance against the possibility of a catastrophic disease or hurricane by creating two separate and geographically distinct flocks at opposite ends of the island. On November 19, 2007 the Puerto Rican Parrot again flew free over the Karst region of Puerto Rico for the first time in seventy years.

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