Scarlet macaws are known for their colorful plumage, but it also makes them coveted prey for wildlife traffickers in the rainforests of Central America.
Often captured and sold illegally as pets, these vibrant birds are considered a critically endangered species in Guatemala, while the U.S. has categorized them as endangered due to illegal trade and habitat loss. For this reason, Humane World for Animals Costa Rica has been working in Guatemala with local partner Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Association since 2007 to protect the scarlet macaw populations that still live in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, the largest area of tropical forest north of the Amazon.
Thanks to this work, and with the financial and logistical support of Guatemalan organizations, in September 2024, 19 scarlet macaws who had been saved from trafficking were returned home to the rainforest. With funding support from Humane World Costa Rica, the majestic birds were rehabilitated at ARCAS Wildlife Rescue Center before being released.
Grettel Delgadillo, deputy director of Humane World for Animals Costa Rica, helped with the release. Here’s her story of the moments leading up to the macaws’ incredible flight to freedom.
Sept. 11, 2024
2 p.m. Prior to release, the macaws practice flying, socializing and eating a typical rainforest diet in the ARCAS Wildlife Rescue Center in Petén, Guatemala.
2:35 p.m. Staff perform final veterinary checkups and place satellite collars on some macaws to monitor and evaluate the success of the release.
3:40 p.m. The macaws are placed into three large crates for their safety, where they remain overnight and throughout the duration of their upcoming journey.
ARCAS
Fundación Defensores de la Naturaleza
Sept. 12, 2024
5:10 a.m. Staff begin loading the macaws onto the vehicles that will carry them to the release area in National Park Sierra del Lancandón.
6:15 a.m. Shortly after departure, an unforeseen stop occurs due to one vehicle’s radiator problems.
10 a.m. After a three-hour trip by land, the team of 20 (plus 19 macaws) arrives at Bethel, a rural community next to the Usumacinta River, where they board three boats.
ARCAS
10:25 a.m. The macaws’ crates are placed in a single boat, where Grettel joins them. “They were very still, very quiet, some of them asleep. I thought it would be a noisy trip, but it wasn’t,” she recalls.
11 a.m. The team sails toward El Porvenir campsite surrounded by dense jungle and intense humidity.
2:15 p.m. As the guests of honor, the macaws disembark first, and their caregivers ensure they are comfortable and have enough food and water.
3:10 p.m. At El Porvenir camp—used by local park rangers in their efforts to protect the National Park Sierra del Lancandón—some members of the team set up their tents; others sleep in thatched huts on beds with mosquito nets. Electricity comes from solar panels and is only utilized briefly at night; water is filtered for human consumption; and basic toilets run with processed rainwater.
“At night, you can hear all of the jungle,” Grettel says. “The howler monkeys and our macaws became my alarm clock. It reminded me of my childhood, because I grew up in a rural area in Costa Rica, and every morning, I was woken up by monkey sounds.”
Sept. 13, 2024
8:30 a.m. While part of the group explores the release area, Grettel and others visit an archaeological site called Piedras Negras.
9:20 a.m. The walk to Piedras Negras not only helps the group acclimate to altitude but also gives them another perspective of the Maya Biosphere Reserve, which protects both natural and cultural heritage.
Sept. 14, 2024
5 a.m. The team boards the boats to head to the release site. “The jungle was just beginning to wake up, and the morning mist surrounded us, covering the treetops on the riverbank,” says Grettel. “I had never seen anything like it; it was magical.”
6:30 a.m. After about an hour, the group reaches the beginning of their 5-kilometer (3-mile) trek along a muddy and steep trail, in a 37 C (98.6 F) heat and 72% humidity.
7:30 a.m. The hike was a challenging one, even more so for those carrying the crates. Yet, “there was always a feeling of joy and anticipation in the group; it seemed as if the macaws were giving us the strength we needed to continue,” says Grettel.
8:30 a.m. The macaws begin to make their characteristic call—a piercing, far-reaching “Raaaaaak!”—about 1 kilometer before reaching the release site. “It seemed like they were communicating and encouraging each other, as if they were saying, ‘We’re almost there, we’re almost home,’” says Grettel.
9 a.m. The group arrives at a clearing on top of a stone hill—the release site. Representatives of the organizations present stand next to each of the crates to open them; among them, Grettel and Anna Bryant, a biologist from ARCAS.
9:15 a.m. Fernando Martinez, director of the ARCAS Rescue Center in Petén, expresses his gratitude: “I hope that the moment we open the doors will be unique, unforgettable. Prepare yourselves because you will never experience it again. Thank you all, because this is the result of not only our work, but of the entire group here today.”
9:19 a.m. “Three, two, one, let’s go!” The cages open in unison, and the 19 macaws emerge like multicolored rockets. While most head toward the rainforest, two briefly fly over the group.
The release lasts only 17 seconds. “In my mind I wished them ‘Good luck,’ and started to cry. The most beautiful thing was seeing the empty crates, with only a few feathers left as witnesses that the macaws had been there,” remembers Grettel.
9:20 a.m. As the macaws’ calls grow fainter, the team members applaud and hug one another.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime moment. That was what we wanted for them—to be far from human intervention and embracing a new adventure. As the macaws flew away, they could all be heard calling each other, as if they were at a party. And it certainly was a party in Sierra del Lacandón,” says Grettel.
ARCAS
Fundación Defensores de la Naturaleza
9:40 a.m. The group collects the empty crates and starts the journey back to camp. “There was a very positive energy among us, a feeling of gratitude for having been able to witness the macaws’ release,” says Grettel. “With tears in our eyes and many smiles, we began to walk. Between mudholes and steep descents, I reflected on how an event of just 17 seconds engraved our hearts forever in red, blue and yellow.”
