In contrast with the joy and pride with which Loro Parque announced the birth of the second baby orca in Spain, last August 3^rd, today with enormous regret we inform you of the sad demise of Vicky, who with so much emotion and affection, the team of OrcaOcean cared for in her 10 months of life. Vicky stood out as a playful, agile and intelligent youngster, andan animal that won the hearts of the entire team of Orca Ocean and of the visitors that knew her during this time.

The reasons for this sudden death are still not known, but the veterinarians and experts are working on the necropsy to determine the causes. In recent days the OrcaOcean team,which every day cares for the animals and monitors all their movements, had noticed changes in her behaviour. For this reason, the leading experts in the field were consulted,including the chief veterinarian of Sea World who came especially from the United States to perform a check on Vicky.

Juan Vicente Martinez, curator of terrestrial mammals & head keeper, explains all the details about the environmental enrichment for the titis and sloths.

Conservation Project of May

The beautiful Blue-throated Macaw (Ara glaucogularis) is listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN. Continuously since 1995 the LPF has maintained a partnership with the Bolivian NGO, Armonía, to save this macaw, found only in the department of Beni in north­ern Bolivia. Even though individuals of the Blue-throated Macaw had been coming into captivity through trade in the 1979s and 1980s, the geographical location of the species in the wild was only scientifically described in 1992.

The species in the wild was immediately diagnosed as very threatened, with a tiny population and restricted range, and with habitat destruction and disturbance, potential illegal pet trade and hunting for feathers as the main threats. The species presents a conserva­tion challenge, because it is very sparsely distributed over a large territory of lowland, grassy plains which are seasonally flooded each year. Interspersed in these plains are ‘palm islands’, slightly raised areas on which forest can grow, dominated by the Motacú palm (Attalea phalerata), which is important for feeding and nesting of the macaw.

Each year the project has undertaken surveys to locate this species over the vast plains of “Llanos de Moxos”, extending westwards the known distribution of the species from the population east of the Rio Mamore. As recently as the year 2000, the lowest estimate of the wild population was of only 36 birds, but as a result of our project, by 2013 it had increased to 350, possibly more. In 2007, at a poorly accessible site of ten cattle ranches west of Santa Ana, the project team found the highest density of Blue-throated Macaws ever recorded. Two ranches (each about 3,000 ha) shared a roost of 70 Blue-throated Macaws, with other ranches holding flocks of 12-17 individuals. This discovery led Armonía to acquire to 5,500 ha land which is now the Barba Azul Nature Reserve. It is currently in the process of expansion to 11,000 ha. The protection of the species in the reserve can be secured, and the project can undertake aspects of research and conservation that were not possible on other private lands.

Ara glaucogularis Project Summary File_Jan2013

Juan Vicente Martinez, curator of terrestrial mammals & head keeper, explains all the details about the environmental enrichment for the Meerkats.

International Migratory Bird Day 2013 occurs on the weekend of 11th and 12th of May, and to contribute to this important event the Loro Parque Fundación is supporting a project to help the world’s most migratory psittacine, the Swift Parrot (Lathamus discolor).

An adult Swift parrot on average weighs 75g, a little more than two typical-sized letters. Nevertheless, some individuals travel up to 5,000 kilometres between their breeding sites in Tasmania and their wintering grounds in mainland south-east Australia. Unfortunately the Swift Parrot is now an endangered species, with a total population of 1,500-4,000 individuals. Like so many other parrot species, the main threat to the Swift Parrot is habitat loss, fragmentation and alteration, which is taking place both within breeding and wintering habitats.

Dejan Stojanovic photograph.

To obtain essential information for the effective conservation of this endangered species, the project is researching its breeding biology and migratory behaviour. The project has several objectives, including to document the parrot’s biology and ecology in relation to land management practices, especially forestry. It is being carried out by Prof. Robert Heinsohn of the Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, and his team-members, Dr Debra Saunders and Dejan Stojanovic. In addition to the project being financially supported by the Loro Parque Fundación and the Australian Research Council, contributions to the project in various forms are coming from Sydney and Charles Sturt Universities, CSIRO Ecosystems Sciences, Bush Heritage Australia, the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industry, Waters and Environment, the Royal Zoological Society of South Australia, Inc, and the Forest Practices Authority.

Dejan Stojanovic photograph.

The researchers have found that all Swift Parrot nests are located in tree-cavities with very specific characteristics, and that they are very vulnerable to an arboreal mammal that was introduced to Tasmania. A later important phase of the project will be to track the parrots remotely over long distances to discover how they locate food sources and other resources. The tracking will use highly innovative technology, never before used in this way.

Formerly found throughout the Philippine archipelago, the endemic Philippine Cockatoo (Cacatua haematuropygia) is close to extinction due to large-scale habitat loss and intense poaching activities. There are estimated to be a maximum of 1,245 individuals, but could well be less than 1,000, with the largest remaining populations today found on Palawan and adjacent smaller islands.

The long-term goal of the Philippine Cockatoo Conserva­tion Programme (PCCP) is the down-listing of the species from ‘Critically Endangered’, and the main strategy of the programme is to conserve in-situ its remaining viable subpopulations. This is through technical conservation measures, like nest protection, and through active participation and understanding of the local population, especially local decision-makers. Warden schemes remain the single-most important tool to assure the short-term survival and recovery of the species, whereas lobbying, conservation education, habitat restoration and reintroduction, as well as provision of alternative livelihood options are important for the long-term improvement of the conditions for cockatoo conservation in the Philippines.

For 14 years the Loro Parque Fundación has been supporting the Philippine NGO, the Katala Foundation, with a total of US$1.365.168 to run the PCCP. It has done this in partnership with Chester Zoo, the Zoological Society for the Preservation of Species and Populations (ZGAP), Conservation des Espèces et des Populations Animales (CEPA) and Association Beauval Conservation & Recherche.

Due to the success of this project, the overall population may now be slowly increasing. Between 1999 and 2003, the activities of the PCCP focused on the small offshore island of Rasa and the nearby mainland community of Narra in eastern Palawan. A community-based wardening scheme on Rasa Island, which has the densest cockatoo population known to remain, ensures that no nests are poached. The project has initiated a slow withdrawal to transfer responsibility to a local conservation group. The other important locations in Palawan where the PCCP has been working for some years are the island of Dumaran, the Culasian Managed Resource Protected Area in the district of Rizal, and the islands of Pandanan, at the southern tip of Palawan in the district of Balabac.

Inside Planet Penguin we follow the solar cycles of the Antarctic. Because of that the short summer takes place in January, where day light last almost 24 hours, being followed by a very long winter where the Antactic stays almost in shadows.

Yesterday we got an email from Josie Whitehead with a poem that we want to share with all of you.

THE PENGUINS OF LORO PARQUE

There are families of penguins who live in a “fridge”
And perhaps you’ll be wondering why.
Their ice-world’s a place that all penguins like,
And these penguins for certain aren’t shy.

The temperature’s just as a penguin would like,
And they’ve a freezing cold pool where they swim.
There was only one problem, the penguins all said,
Without sunshine our world is too dim.

So they gave them bright lights and lots of blue sky,
And a beach where they look out to sea.
They added some rocks for their cold rocky shore –
And they’ve plenty of humans to see.

Quite often the penguins enjoy a snowstorm,
As they love the snowflakes on their skin.
And what do they need in addition to this
To prevent them from all getting thin?

They’re supplied every day with tasty fish-meals,
And they’re never pursued by a shark –
And these families of penguins lead lives full of ease
In their Ice World within Loro Parque.

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