In July last year I read an online article (in the July 27th 2008 edition of the Charlotte Observer) which concerned a visit made by Karen Cheek Justice, founder of the Parrot University to the Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation in Qatar where she worked with the collection of Spix’s Macaws. I emailed Karen the day after I read that article to ask if she’d like to do an interview on 10,000 Birds. This was long before the ‘parrot month’ idea had been discussed, and as it happened she was just off on a long working-trip overseas so suggested I try again when she got back. We talked again in October, and we managed to get the interview that follows ready perfectly in time to fit in with our ‘theme’. My thanks to her for her patience (to be very honest my first attempt to interview her was a disaster as I hadn’t researched properly) and genuine desire to help the world’s parrots…

Karen thanks very much for talking to us as part of our ‘parrot month’ here on 10,000 Birds. What I’d like to discuss is the work you did at HE Sheikh Saoud Bin Mohammed Bin Ali Al Thani’s ‘Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation’ in Qatar where you recently worked with the world’s most important collection of Spix’s Macaws.

Obviously you’re an expert in your field, but I was curious how an invitation to Al Wabra arises. Have you been in long-term contact with the staff there, or is the world of such specialists a relatively small one and most people know each other or know of each other?

• KCJ: Thanks, but I am by no means an expert. I have spent many years acquiring training and continue to learn.

  My invitation was a combination of happenstance and boldness. While attending a workshop at Natural Encounters I met a professional bird trainer from the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia named Nic Bishop. He was interning with Steve Martin and assisting with the workshop. We hit it off immediately. I told him of my interest in the Spix’s and he mentioned that he was long time friends with Ryan Watson, the Blue Macaw Coordinator at Al Wabra.

  Several months later I was attending the annual convention of the American Federation of Aviculture where Ryan was speaking. I became Ryan’s shadow and inundated him with questions. Thankfully he was as enthusiastic about talking about them as I was listening! When we parted at the end of the conference I semi-jokingly said that I would be willing to do anything, clean cages, wash dishes, whatever, if I could visit Al Wabra. Ryan said I should talk with Nic as he was preparing a proposal for training several Spix’s for a medical procedure. I contacted Nic immediately and he generously made me part of the program!

  And yes, the parrot world is large is some ways but very small in others.

Spix’s Macaw is now extinct in the wild. An estimate of a total 120 individuals in four or five collections worldwide seems to be the one usually given. Is it possible to know where every living Spix’s currently is or exactly how many there are worldwide, or could one or two still be in private hands?

• KCJ: To my knowledge there are possibly as many as 120 but probably less. Of those, 63 are participating in an international breeding program managed by the Institute Chico Mendes of Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), the Natural Heritage Branch of the Brazilian Government. While those closely involved with this program probably know where the other birds are it is not generally disclosed. To my knowledge those are in private hands.

Had you worked with them before anywhere else (Loro Parque in Tenerife perhaps)?

• KCJ: I had never had the opportunity prior to Al Wabra but had visited the breeding center at Loro Parque twice to see them.

You’re a bird lover: seeing photographs of such a beautiful and rare bird is one thing, but is it possible to describe to those of us who’ve never seen a Spix’s Macaw what it felt like seeing so many in one place?

• KCJ: I have tried many times but I always seem to fail. There are no adequate words. My first encounter at Al Wabra was in an aviary that housed six of Al Wabra’s juveniles. It was truly breathtaking and spiritual. They were so comical and unassuming, clearly having no comprehension of how special they are. VERY inquisitive they took great interest in our clothes, jewelry, glasses, and hats. After exiting the aviary I was in tears when I realized I had just spent time with approximately 5% of the remaining population of the world’s rarest parrot! To this day I am still in awe that it actually happened. It was possibly the happiest and most memorable moment in my life.

Al Wabra looks an incredibly impressive place. The facilities are fairly new, but they are presumably absolutely state-of-the-art?

• KCJ: Absolutely! Just prior to our arrival several new buildings had been completed. Besides the administrative offices, new and state-of-the-art veterinary facilities, nurseries, food preparation and storage areas (for the wildlife) as well as modern, comfortable housing for all the staff were opened. The Spix’s had recently inhabited all new housing that included combination indoor/outdoor aviaries outfitted with natural environmental enrichment. Construction continues on updating the facility for the many other inhabitants.

Keeping disease out must be a constant worry when so many endangered individuals are in one place?

• KCJ: Most definitely! But one of the positives of being an oasis in the middle of desert is that it is a natural quarantine. The facility is not open to the public so anyone present is a known entity. Within the facility the highest bio-secure measures are taken by the staff to prevent cross contamination.

In Qatar you were working to get eight Spix’s to accept liquid hormones to aid in fertility. How did you choose which Spix’s to work with?

• KCJ: Four pair of Spix’s was chosen by Ryan to be trained. Selection was based on the extensive genetic testing of the birds for as diverse a gene pool mating as possible AND the infertility/inferior breeding success of the particular birds.

Were the birds used to human contact, or were most of them fairly unapproachable?

• KCJ: While used to human contact through experiences prior to, as well as at Al Wabra, most of the birds we worked with were very leery of humans. Unfortunately much of their history with humans has been negative. Some of it was due to the necessary extensive testing needed to ensure their health as well as their breeding viability. They were comfortable with one person entering their aviary as that signified a keeper bringing food, water and enrichment. More than one person signified “VETERINARIAN” and they would leave the indoor enclosure.

  Each breeding pair resides in an enclosure that consists of a climate controlled indoor aviary (with a hallway for access to the food bays and outdoor aviary) and a large outdoor enclosure. They had freedom to move between them throughout our work. We worked strictly in the hallway outside the food bays.

Is it possible to say how many of the Spix’s at Al Wabra are fertile? There are likely to be genetic problems from breeding within such a small group – how can they be countered?

• KCJ: I do not have those specifics on the numbers. But yes, one of the difficulties faced by the breeding program is poor fertility, probably as a result of a lack of genetic diversity.

Stress is known to impact on fertility: are the birds able to fly within an aviary at Al Wabra and are they kept as a social unit to reduce stress, or is that not practical (or advisable perhaps because of disease worries etc?)?

• KCJ: Stress reduction is of extremely high priority. As I said before, they live in large, well appointed aviaries with movement between indoors and out available. In the external flights they can have visual access between them by replacing a solid removable partition with a double mesh partition, but physical access is limited to pairs in the adult population because of the risk of disease transfer. Access to and around the Spix’s facilities is highly monitored and limited. The juveniles bred there are flocked together separate from the adults.

Again, apologies if this is naïve but I don’t imagine many of us reading this have ever had the responsibility of working with such staggeringly rare birds. It must be incredibly rewarding but is it still nerve-wracking or do you become used to the stress over the years.

• KCJ: While I only had the one month’s experience at Al Wabra, I can say that in observation of those who have had years of experience their vigilance and concern is as high as ever. I never saw any indication that awareness of the importance and rarity of their charges ever diminished. I can only imagine that it would wear on one’s nerves from time to time. We were certainly exhausted at the end of each day!

You worked incredibly long hours when you were in Qatar. Did you work so hard because you had a limited time there and had a great deal to fit in and/or did you just enjoy/were very motivated by what you were doing and didn’t want to stop?

• KCJ: It was definitely a combination of both. Our desire to succeed thereby contributing in some small way to the preservation of this magnificent species was paramount. But we were most definitely limited by our 30 day Visa! Given this rare, almost unheard of opportunity, why would we want to do anything else?!

Did you learn a lot from the experience in Qatar or was it more/as much a case of putting your expertise to work and training others?

• KCJ: Oh I gained SO much both personally and professionally while there. Working with Nic Bishop was phenomenal and I absorbed all he had to offer. It was my first opportunity to apply my own skills on a daily basis in a formal program and that was very rewarding. Additionally we were joined by another volunteer, Nicole Lang from Germany, who had no experience in training. She was a huge asset to us and provided the opportunity to teach! I guess you can tell the whole experience was rewarding and educational on EVERY level! And the friendships forged I hope to have for a lifetime.

This might seem a strange question, but as your experience was so intense do you miss the Spix’s? I only ask because when I see a bird I’ve wanted to see for years it’s almost difficult to walk away. Spending four weeks with them must make it even harder to say goodbye?

• KCJ: Never for a moment did we lose the awe of what we were working with and how enormously fortunate we were. You can not begin to imagine the emptiness and loss we all felt and continue to feel. MANY tears were shed as departure day approached and passed. Each bird we worked with possessed its own unique personality and challenge for us. From “Mr. Funny Beak’s” exuberance to Freddy’s reticence we grew to know each one so intimately. I think of them often and hope to see them again someday.

The Al Wabra website refers to the purchase of land in Brazil suitable for re-introduction into the wild. That must be very motivating for everyone concerned?

• KCJ: Absolutely! FYI, the purchase of the farm has been completed [as of Dec 2008]. So the very spot the last wild Spix’s existed is preserved.

This ties into the previous question, but with no Spix’s left in the wild at the moment do captive breeding programmes offer the best hope of the long-term existence of the species or do you think given the right conditions, protection, time etc that a viable wild population will become established in Brazil again?

• KCJ: I most definitely think captive breeding programs are the best hope for highly endangered species. But for those still in existence in the wild protection of habitat MUST be a priority. Awfully simplistic, but without a place to live they will cease to exist.

  As for the success of the Spix’s for reintroduction… my humble opinion, it will be a very long and difficult process. They have so many difficulties to overcome but they have some of the best in the world working for their success.

Many parrots worldwide are endangered, principally from habitat loss, collection etc. Is it possible to be optimistic about the future for parrots in general on this planet of ours…?

• KCJ: Oh dear, I try to be an optimist. But in my daily work of rescue and re-homing of companion parrots I have times when it is hard to stay upbeat. With places like Al Wabra and Loro Parque one can hope…

…and how does the Parrot University work towards ensuring their survival? What projects are you/the University working on currently?

• KCJ: Education and public awareness of the plight of parrots in the wild is a major focus. Each trip I make to observe wild parrots, or work with endangered species, I prepare a travelogue and present it at the store and various conferences. In our store library we have extensive material on conservation available for people to access. I hope to volunteer for other conservation programs in situ in the coming year.

  Our ongoing project at Parrot University is our adoption program, Companion Parrots Re-homed (CPR). Parrots needing new and better homes are a HUGE problem in the United States and one that is poorly addressed. Our focus is educating current and potential new owners in all aspects of parrot care so that the next home stands a much better chance of being successful. The unwanted population drives me to support conservation efforts. I hope in some small way I can repay the debt we owe for removing them from the wild.

That’s a great thought, Karen. Finally, if you could ask our readers to do just one thing to help the world’s parrots what would it be?

• KCJ: Sorry, but I must name two. First is to support ethical, reputable sanctuary/adoption programs for the parrots in captivity. Second is to support conservations programs in the wild. This can be monetary (ALWAYS needed) and through volunteering. If someone is fortunate enough to have the time and money volunteers are always needed at sanctuaries, research stations and conservation facilities all over the world.

Karen, many, many thanks for your time and thank you for your invaluable insights.

Karen Cheek Justice entered the world of companion parrots in 2000 when she acquired a Congo African Grey. The welfare of both companion and wild parrots became her passion. Studying with Susan Friedman, PhD., Karen is a graduate of the Living and Learning with Parrots (LLP). She has completed Steve Martin’s Basic and Advanced Companion Parrots Behavioural Workshops (NEI) as well as several of Barbara Heidenreich’s training workshops and seminars. With training as an avian veterinary technician Karen is a member of the Association of Avian Veterinarians and Mid-Atlantic States Association of Avian Veterinarians. She participated in a four week project at Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation in Qatar which entailed training the rarest species of parrot in the world, the Spix’s macaws, for medical treatment as well as preparing three Hyacinth macaws for free flight.

Karen is the owner of Parrot University in Pineville, NC (www.parrotu.com), a retail and boarding facility whose focus is education of companion parrot owners. Parrot U does not sell birds but has them available for adoption through Companion Parrots Re-homed, a 501(c)(3) parrot welfare organization which she founded and serves as president. Karen resides in Charlotte, NC with her husband, one dog, two cats and three companion parrots.

Contact address:
    Karen Cheek Justice
    Parrot University
    321 So. Polk St.
    Pineville, NC
    704 889-2325