Macaws Pair in Brazil – Sunday 26th November 2023

Macaws Pair in Brazil – Sunday 26th November 2023

I read an article yesterday about a Macaw pair in a Brazilian zoo. And wondered.  The male Macaw probably cannot fly any great distance and the female Macaw is most likely alone in the wild. She is bonded with the male Macaw so she won’t bond with another in any case. So they are going to continue in this way and it seems needless.

Though I understand the need for the policies, but in this case for this unique pair an idea may be to create an enclosure within the enclosure. Requiring a pair of doors. Close the inner door, open the outer door and if she comes in the outer door, close the outer door and open the inner door.

If she wants to stay with the group and especially the male Macaw then she chose, so there isn’t any policy issue.

If she goes back in the open inner door of the enclosure indicating she wants to leave, close it and let her out the outer door.

If this happens several times there is a likelihood that she won’t go to the enclosure to leave because she will rather be with the other Macaws than to go and be alone. And if they had baby Macaws then the safest place for her and them is with him in the zoo.

In the wild on her own she is at risk from other creatures,  and so I think her future is better in there with him, than just spending all her time clinging to the wire and flying back and forth every day. That is all her future will be, if policy can’t be relaxed in this unique case.

Fiona MacLeod (C)