New World parrots are declining throughout their range. Blue and Gold Macaw Ara ararauna was extirpated from the
island of Trinidad in the late 1960s through anthropogenic processes. The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is
assisting the Wildlife Section of the Forestry Division, Trinidad on a mission to restore the species into its historical
range within the Bush-Bush Sanctuary in the Nariva Swamp. The Sanctuary has been protected by the government of
Trinidad and is the home of the endangered Red-bellied Macaw Ara manilata and West Indian Manatee Trichechus
manatus. Zoo and Wildlife personnel participated in three separate releases, beginning in December 1999 through to
March 2000. The initial release consisted of an identical sex group of macaws followed by two additional releases of
pairs/groups of birds. Of 18 Blue and Gold Macaws, 14 were released into the Nariva Swamp and are currently being
monitored by the Wildlife Section, Zoo personnel and surrounding community. Translocation of wild populations of
parrots has proven to be a viable solution to restocking wild populations that have been regionally extirpated.