Back in January, we featured this project that wanted to give foster parents to wild Scarlet Macaw chicks that were abandoned after hatching late. The idea was to see if placing the late-hatching chicks in new nests could increase their survival rates and serve as a conservation method for the endangered bird species.
The researchers isolated 15 freshly-hatched chicks in Peru, raised them by hand for several days, and then placed them in foster nests where they were closely monitored. Data was gathered on their weight, food consumption, and activity.
A poster was presented at the Wildlife Reintroduction Conference that shares some initial results. After 2 breeding seasons, they showed that 100% of the foster chicks were successfully accepted by their wild foster parents, and 93% developed into healthy birds.
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