New home for the Puerto Rican parrot might be ready for summer

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Cited from endi.com The new aviary, which hopes to help increase the efforts of preservation and reproduction of the parrot, has been possible thanks to a contribution of $1.7 million from the U.S. Congress that has been matched by the private industry in the Island. Also, the Puerto Rican organization "Herencia", integrated in its majority by companies related to the industry of construction, helped collect around $700,000. "At the moment, in El Yunque’s old aviary and in the aviary in Utuado there are around 170 parrots, but it is calculated that around 30 of them live in the wild of El Yunque.” of and in which it exists in Utuado they maintain around 170 cotorras. The aviary handles the reproduction of the parrot and is a hospital for the species." "The Puerto Rican parrot is one of the most endangered species in the world. The only place where they’ve found some protection is in El Yunque”, indicated Edwin Muñiz, director of Field Operations of the Wild Life and Fishing Service of the U.S. for Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands." The endangerment of the parrot has been caused by deforestation, urban development and natural phenomena, like hurricanes. One of the goals of this new aviary is to help reestablish the numbers of the parrot, "so that they can survive by themselves, and eventually establish populations in different parts of Puerto Rico."