The Spix's Macaw is a type of parrot, blue, beautiful and,
according to this somewhat anthropomorphic account, highly
intelligent. In 1990 intense efforts revealed that only one
remaining bird was to be found living in the wild. This is the
story of an extraordinary international rescue operation launched
to try to mate this sole survivor with a captive Spix's Macaw and
rescue the species from extinction. It is a tale of high drama,
politics, crime and intrigue, with a curious love triangle thrown
in. The story opens with the harrowing account of how the last
three Spix's Macaw were narrowed to one, in 1987, by illegal
trappers, and of that lone male's long years in isolation. We
journey back to the origins of Dr Johan Baptist Ritter von Spix,
born in 1781, and his voyage to South America during which he shot
the blue macaw that, six years after his death, was found to be
unique, a new genus. Already however, this bird was so rare that no
other was seen in the wild for 84 years. After the 1990 discovery,
the conservationists faced a terrible choice - if the last known
wild Spix's Macaw was left alone, he would be a vital 'tutor' for
any captive birds to be released - but he might succumb to trappers
or natural predators, placing the entire species closer to
extinction. Moreover, captive breeding could take years before a
suitable female was ready to be released - would the sole male last
that long? Eventually, the arguments in favour of leaving that last
parrot in his natural habitat held sway. The search was on for a
captive female to join him. Finally a suitable female - the only
suitable female - was found. Incredibly, in a twist which suggests
that this amazing tale must one day make it to Hollywood, she
proved to be the male's original partner. More than seven years
after her capture, and his total isolation from his own species,
the two are reunited; by then the reader is so involved that the
ensuing events become a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions. Tony
Juniper, Executive Director of Friends of the Earth, is one of the
few Europeans to have seen the last Spix's Macaw and unsurprisingly
is forthright in his condemnation of human greed and ignorance,
'wiping out countless life forms from the record of creation'.
Eventual success in returning Spix's Macaw to the wild will depend
on the wild still being there. (Kirkus UK)
"Not only were we in the presence of the last Spix's Macaw at Curaca – it was the last wild Spix's Macaw anywhere…Unlike all other mortal creatures that must one day face the inevitable reality of their own demise, the death of this bird would mark the end not only of himself but his entire kind."
In December 1897 the Honourable and Reverend F.G. Dutton lamented that 'there are so many calls on a parson's purse, that he cannot always treat himself to expensive parrots'. He was hoping to purchase a Spix's Macaw, a rare and beautiful parrot found in a remote area of Brazil. Today, the parson's search for a Spix would be in vain. By the turn of the millenium, only one survivor existed in the wild.
'Spix's Macaw' tells the heartbreaking story of a unique band of brilliant blue birds – who talk, fall in love, and grieve – struggling against the forces of extinction. Discovered in the early nineteenth century, the Spix soon became the most expensive bird in the world. By the end of the twentieth century the birds became gram-for-gram more valuable than heroin; so treasured that they drew up to $40,000 on the black market. When, in 1990, only one was found to be living in the wild, an amnesty was declared allowing private collectors to come forward with their illegal birds. The last Spix would be paired with a captive bird, in the hope that the secrets of survival in the wild would be passed down to future generations.
In a breathtaking display of stoicism and endurance, the loneliest bird in the world had lived without a mate for fourteen years, had outwitted predators and second-guessed the poachers. But would he take to a new companion? Spix's Macaws are like humans – they can't be forced to love. With exquisite detail, this book tells the dramatic story of the international rescue operation, and of the humans whose selfishness and greed brought a beautiful species to the brink of extinction. The long, lonely flight of the last Spix's Macaw is both a love story and an environmental parable for our times.
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