The owner had passed away and his heirs continued the collection at first. They have since lost interest ……...
Qatar has been under blockade for the past year by its neighbours, who have also cut diplomatic ties. The situation shows no sign of coming to a resolution any time soon. The new facility in Brazil will be owned and financed by Al Wabra, who also will retain ownership of their birds.
It’s such a shame that the new owners have lost interest in their fathers conservation work, but at least we know that the birds will be going to a good home and still kept as Al Warbra’s, and then later their home country.
I hope the Ethiopian animals will be okay. I wonder if they will be sent back to Ethiopia or moved into other zoos?
There has been a public commentary from the current operators of the Al Wabra facility and the German ACTP team whereby the macaw staff at Al Wabra will relocate to Berlin first and will eventually co-run the Brazil facility. It is a reparative measure by the current owners' - Sheikh Hamad and Sheikha Sara - to ensure the long term viability of the macaw breeding and reintroduction program and that thus current import-export constraints in the region can be circumvented. In this light, it seems the hoofstock side of things remains under the control of new owners' Sheikh Hamad and Sheikha Sara. BTW: small correction the erstwhile owner was Sheikh Saoud.
All this is so shoking... It's likely the Spix Macaw sanctuary is being dismantled. Any info of where and when will go the birds of paradise and the Flame Bowerbird? With other interesting animal species will be sent away?
I don't know about the current situation and the future plans of the current owners. But I have been in the lucky circumstance in the past to stay at AWWP. Then it was an amazing place with many species birds of paradise, macaws, pesquets, cockatoo, wild ass, ungulates and many more! Also some world class Arabian horse, rare plants and beautiful art.
Farewell Al Wabra - EcoSouk It seems it’s over Although it’s financial situation was never very sustainable, it seems we have now lost one of the worlds greatest centers of conservation. What a crying shame.
Is the most devastating new that I've read in Zoochat ever!!!!!!!!! The zoo that have more intense conservation efforts in the world and had the rarest species of parrots, birds of paradise and bowerbirds... abandoned just because they don't find a successor with the same passion for conservation?!?!?! I'm sure that here in Zoochat can be found a bunch of people that would be good successors with passion for conservation too! Why they didn't tried just looking here?
This is of course terribly sad news. It's really not a matter of finding a successor with the same passion for conservation though. It's finding one with that passion for conservation and over 350,000 euros per month to spare...
Oh yes, much more difficult. The conclusion is that Al-Wabra was certainly not self-sustaining... But with a whole GENUS (Cyanopsitta) whose surviving depends on their hands, certainly governments should have done more for keep this place!
Its amazing/shocking to witness the successful rise, and then the equally sudden and ignominious collapse of this organisation in just a few short years. I hope the ACTP facilities in Germany are at least comparable with what was here for further propogation of the Spix Macaws in particular, though the climate will obviously be less beneficial.
The situation is far from good, but I know for a fact that the article quotes stuff that has never ben said by these persons. Most of the birds are indeed being rehomed already. But the ungulates are much more difficult to rehouse (politics, CITES, more issues for transport, less places that are interested/have space).
I hope European zoos will make an effort to receive animals for Al Wabra. This is the one-in-a-century chance to get several species not known outside their home countries otherwise. Are Flame Bowerbird and Beira still at Al Wabra, and where they go/went/will go?
