Review
An environmental parable for our times - the story of a beautiful blue bird meeting its nemesis at the end of the 20th century.
The Spix's Macaw is a type of parrot, blue, beautiful and, according to this somewhat anthropomorphic account, highly intelligent. In 1990 intense efforts revealed that only one remaining bird was to be found living in the wild. This is the story of an extraordinary international rescue operation launched to try to mate this sole survivor with a captive Spix's Macaw and rescue the species from extinction. It is a tale of high drama, politics, crime and intrigue, with a curious love triangle thrown in. The story opens with the harrowing account of how the last three Spix's Macaw were narrowed to one, in 1987, by illegal trappers, and of that lone male's long years in isolation. We journey back to the origins of Dr Johan Baptist Ritter von Spix, born in 1781, and his voyage to South America during which he shot the blue macaw that, six years after his death, was found to be unique, a new genus. Already however, this bird was so rare that no other was seen in the wild for 84 years. After the 1990 discovery, the conservationists faced a terrible choice - if the last known wild Spix's Macaw was left alone, he would be a vital 'tutor' for any captive birds to be released - but he might succumb to trappers or natural predators, placing the entire species closer to extinction. Moreover, captive breeding could take years before a suitable female was ready to be released - would the sole male last that long? Eventually, the arguments in favour of leaving that last parrot in his natural habitat held sway. The search was on for a captive female to join him. Finally a suitable female - the only suitable female - was found. Incredibly, in a twist which suggests that this amazing tale must one day make it to Hollywood, she proved to be the male's original partner. More than seven years after her capture, and his total isolation from his own species, the two are reunited; by then the reader is so involved that the ensuing events become a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions. Tony Juniper, Executive Director of Friends of the Earth, is one of the few Europeans to have seen the last Spix's Macaw and unsurprisingly is forthright in his condemnation of human greed and ignorance, 'wiping out countless life forms from the record of creation'. Eventual success in returning Spix's Macaw to the wild will depend on the wild still being there. (Kirkus UK)
Colorful, disturbing story of a bird on the brink. In 1817, in the thorny and draughty woodlands of Brazil, a natural-historian in the employ of the King of Bavaria was on a collecting mission. Dr. Johan Baptist Ritter von Spix shot a magnificent long-tailed blue parrot, not realizing that "he had just taken the very first specimen of a bird that would one day symbolize how human greed and ignorance were wiping countless life forms from the record of creation." From there, Friends of the Earth executive director Juniper keeps the story of the bird's fate bubbling along smartly, describing how Spix's Macaw (and the other three blue parrots: Hyacinth, Glaucous, and Lear's) became an object of desire for Victorian aviculturists and maintained its allure right up to today, when a shadowy bird-collecting elite has helped drive it nearly to extinction. Being a member of the conservation community, Juniper brings significant passion to the topic of the rare-bird trade, which can be traced back to the fourth century b.c. Alexander the Great brought back parakeets from Afghanistan, Henry the VIII enjoyed an African Grey, prostitutes in ancient India "carried a parrot on their wrists in order to advertise their profession." The plight of Spix's Macaw sparked a remarkable effort to breed the birds in both wild and captive environments, but the results have been tentative at best, and squabbles between owners of captive birds and the organizations seeking to see the endangered creature survive in the wild have thrown a wrench in the works, prompting a forceful condemnation from the author. A meager population exists, though Juniper is far from sanguine about their future, given the grotesque effects of the illegal international market, whose lust for the rarest and choicest birds makes them the most likely to be driven extinct. Vital storytelling gives this cautionary tale a chance for wide readership. (Kirkus Reviews)
Product Description
In December 1897 the Reverend F.G. Dutton lamented that "there are so many calls on a parson's purse, that he cannot always treat himself to expensive parrots." He was hoping to purchase a Spix's Macaw, a rare and beautiful parrot found in a remote area of Brazil. Today, the parson's search would be in vain. By the turn of the millennium only one survivor, a lone male, existed in the wild. "Spix's Macaw" tells the hearbreaking story of a unique band of brilliant blue birds - who talk, fall in love, and grieve - struggling against the forces of extinction and their own desirability. By the second half of the 20th century the birds became gram for gram more valuable than heroin; so valuable that the drew up to $40,000 on the black markets. When, in 1990, only one was found to be living in the wild, an emergency international rescue operation was launched and an amnesty declared, allowing private collectors to come forward with their illegal birds, possible mates for the last wild Spix. In a breathtaking display of stocism and endurance, the loneliest bird in the world had lived without a mate for 14 years, had outwitted predators and second-guessed the poachers. But would he take to a new companion? Spix's Macaws are like humans - they can't be forced to love. This book tells the dramatic story of the rescue operation, and of the humans whose selfishness and greed brought a beautiful species to the brink of extinction. The long, lonely flight of the last Spix's Macaw is both a love story and an environmental parable for our times.
