There once was a time when macaws could be found all over Brazil. But what makes these birds so beautiful — their incredible plumage — also makes them easy prey for poachers .
Sadly, these brilliant creatures have been hunted to the point of near extinction. It’s believed that only one wild macaw remains in Rio and researchers think that it’s lonely and looking for love.
Every morning, for the past two decades, a blue-and-yellow macaw has visited the macaw enclosure at Rio de Janeiro’s zoo.
Researchers and zoo employees dubbed the bird Juliet .
They say that she loves to socialize with the other birds and that her behavior almost resembles cuddling.
Neiva Guedes, President of the Hyacinth Macaw Institute, believes he knows why Juliet behaves in this manner.
According to Neiva, he believes that Juliet “very probably feels lonely, and for that reason goes to the enclosure to communicate and interact.”
But the biologists at BioParque do Rio are determined to change all of that.
Blue-and-yellow macaws can live for upwards of 35 years, according to experts.
This means that Juliet is one well-seasoned bird. She should have built a nest and had chicks years ago, but for whatever reason — Juliet never mated with another.
I guess this bird likes to keep it casual?
They’ve come up with a plan to rebuild the ecosystem and start breeding blue-and-yellow macaws!
The plan is to raise roughly 20 chicks and reintroduce the endangered birds back into the wild.
Hopefully, with a little luck, Juliet will be able to find her Romeo before it’s too late.
