Wild Hopes: Blue Spix Macaws Released into Wildlife

Originally native to Brazil’s Caatinga forest, Blue Spix Macaws have been extinct in wildlife for two decades. Due to deforestation and poaching, these bluebirds have always been a rarity, and the last living Spix Macaw was spotted in the year 2000. Shortly after, the late Sheikh Saoud Bin Mohammed Al Thani initiated a program to preserve these animals in captivity while breeding them over time. He brought dozens to his private wildlife sanctuary, Al Wabra, to help increase their population in hopes of setting them free one day. With only 160 blue birds preserved in captivity, these endangered species were finally released into their natural habitat in June 2022. In honor of June’s environmental month, QAIC would like to congratulate the team in Caatinga, who coordinated their release along with Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation.