Eleven rare blue macaws, known scientifically as Cyanopsitta spixii and commonly as ararinhas-azuis, have been infected with circovirus at a breeding center in Curaçá, Bahia, Brazil.
The facility, operated by the Brazilian company BlueSky in partnership with the German Association for the Conservation of Threatened Parrots (ACTP), is part of efforts to reintroduce this species, which has been considered extinct in the wild since 2000 due to habitat loss and illegal wildlife trade.
The blue macaw population worldwide is estimated at around 200, all in captivity.
The species has been considered extinct in the wild since 2000, when the last wild animal monitored by researchers disappeared.
In 2020, 52 birds were repatriated from Europe to Brazil, and a group was released into a protected area in Curaçá in 2022.
The outbreak was first detected in May 2024, prompting authorities to recapture the affected birds in early November.
Circovirus, which causes Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD), leads to symptoms including abnormal feather coloration, feather loss, and beak deformities. The virus is incurable and often fatal in parrots, though it poses no risk to humans or poultry. It is believed to have originated in Australia.
Investigations by Brazil’s Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), in collaboration with the Bahia State Environmental Institute (INEMA) and the Federal Police, uncovered significant biosecurity lapses at the facility. These included dirty feeders caked with dried feces, insufficient daily cleaning and disinfection of equipment, and staff handling birds while wearing casual attire like flip-flops, shorts, and t-shirts.
As a result, ICMBio fined BlueSky R$1.8 million (approximately $320,000 USD) and activated an emergency response system to contain the virus. The 103 birds at the center have been segregated into infected and uninfected groups to prevent further spread.
Claudia Sacramento, ICMBio’s coordinator for climate emergencies and epizootics, noted that better adherence to protocols could have prevented the infection from spreading from one bird to 11, according to a CNN Brasil report.
Ongoing probes are examining the virus’s source, with concerns that it may threaten other psittacine species in the region.
More information on Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease caused by circovirus can be found here from the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water.
The virus is not zoonotic and cannot be transmitted to humans.
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