A decrease in the number of Scarlet Macaws at the Hands of Guatemalan Poachers

The F.C.D. is also reporting that illegal wildlife trafficking and poaching have been affecting the scarlet macaw population. This year, some twenty five parrots were lost at the hands of Guatemalan poachers but that number can be more. A national census conducted earlier this year showed that Belize has a minimum of three hundred individual parrots in the wild and that the Chiquibul has the right ecosystem for their survival. Due to limited resources, the F.C.D. is seeking funds to deploy rangers into distant areas. F.C.D. will also be turning to G.O.B. to assist in the extraction of parrots that are at high risk and to impose higher penalties on poachers as well as for a citizen science programme in which volunteers carry out bio-monitoring.