Juliet has appeared almost every morning for the past two decades. She swoops into the enclosure where other blue-and-yellow macaws are housed at the Rio de Janeiro city zoo. She joins in a grooming activity that resembles conjugal canoodling across the fence.
Last Wild Macaw
Juliet, a blue-and-yellow macaw that lives to be 35 years old, is no spring chicken. Years before, Juliet should have sought a life partner.
Reintroduction to the Wild
Other macaws of her species could be reintroduced into the wild as part of a recent zoo project, allowing Juliet the opportunity to travel with friends and maybe find love.
"They're social birds, which means they don't want to live alone, whether in the wild or in captivity," says the author. They need company," said Guedes, who is also the project coordinator for a macaw testing project in urban areas. Juliet "very likely feels alone and goes to the enclosure to chat and bond as a result."
Blue and Yellow Macaw
According to Marcelo Rheingantz, a scientist at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, the last sighting of a blue-and-yellow macaw flying free in Rio was in 1818 by an Austrian naturalist. (The Spix's macaws featured in the 2011 animation film "Rio" are endemic to a separate part of Brazil and may be extinct in the wild.)
Macaws' bright plumage aids them in finding each other in dense woodland, but it also makes them easier prey for predators and animal smugglers. They've been seen in other Brazilian states and in the Amazon, and Juliet is said to have survived captivity.
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Juliet Visiting the Zoo
BioParque biologists aren't sure if Juliet's nuzzling is limited to only one caged Romeo or a few. Juliet's gender is unknown; macaw gender is difficult to ascertain by sight and involves genetic testing of feathers or hair and examination of the sex organs.
Within the enclosure, biologist Angelita Capobianco said that doing either only to appease human interest would be intrusion with no scientific intent. Juliet, who soars above and is well fed, will not be confined to naturalists.
Letting Her Do Her Business
"We don't want to project individual emotions into the screen. "When I look at the animal, I see an animal at ease," Capobianco said, adding that Juliet has never shown signs of distress, such as pecking at the gate.
Macaws Flying in Brazil
The attraction of traveling without restrictions is apparent to humanity after more than a year of COVID-19 quarantine and travel bans. Macaws are used to traveling over 20 miles a day, according to Guedes.
BioParque's macaws were given more habitat last year, with a 10,700-square-foot aviary where they ride alongside green parrots and golden parakeets to create an aerial, technicolor swirl. It's a huge improvement on the previous enclosures, which were just about 100 square feet. After almost 17 months of repairs and the privatization of Rio's dilapidated zoo, BioParque reopened to the public in March.
Also Read: Parrot and Puppy's Adorable Friendship Catches the Heart of Many
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