Dies the last Spix's Macaw that once lived in freedom.

It is with regret that we inform the death of one of the last Spix's macaws who were lucky to live a part of life in nature. Presley, the male Spix's Macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii) world's oldest was 40 years old and was considered by biologists and activists living example of the environmental disaster perpetuated by wildlife trafficking.

Taken from his natural habitat, Presley was sold as a pet in the United States, until become the target of official conservation initiatives, which have managed to bring him back to Brazil (but not the nature) 15 years later.

Our friend (who helped inspire the director of the film "Rio") lived for almost 10 years in Lymington Foundation (conservation center located in São Paulo), where were made several captive breeding attempts, all unsuccessful. In March this year, experts from the University of Giessen, Germany, came to collect the semen pf Presley by electroejaculation. However, due to heart problems and advanced age of the bird, the sperm had morphological and mobility problems.

Presley lived in the Foundation until be admitted to the Veterinary Hospital of UNESP Botucatu, on June 20, he didn’t feed himself alone anymore. There, under veterinary care, died on the 25th.

According to a spokesperson for the Institute Chico Mendes, the Presley autopsy was performed at the Laboratory of Comparative Pathology of Wild Animals (LaPCom), University of São Paulo, and the germinative cells of the bird were preserved (germplasm conservation) to be transplanted another male who would like to produce Presley’s sperm . This technique has already been held in other groups of birds and is seen as a final attempt to incorporate the genetic material of the Presley group of Spix's macaws in captivity today.

"He was one of the last individuals of the natural environment. As this species is extinct in the wild, there are few matrices to reproduce. It is very valuable to broaden the genetic diversity and avoid crossing among relatives," explains Patricia Serafini, environmental analyst at the Center national Research and Conservation of Wild Birds (Cemave / ICMBio).

ICMBio has a plan to reintroduce the species back into its habitat. Unfortunately, nowadays the Spix's macaw is extinct in nature and is only found in captivity.

For us from ISF Brazil in Action this news is particularly sad, since we have the Spix's Macaw as a symbol of our fight for the preservation of nature. That one day all the animals can return to their natural habitat without fear of being hunted and extinct, that our forests are preserved and our life really has value.

"I wish for once believe that the world is perfect and everyone is happy, but gave us mirrors and saw a sick world ..." (Renato Russo)

Source: O Eco and Globo Natureza