Shocking video footage shows a Durango, Mexico, family shooting into a flock of wild military macaws with a rifle, causing one animal to fall to the ground with a badly wounded wing. The injured bird, crying desperately in pain and terror, was reportedly captured by the family. They allegedly hunted and shot the bird in the hope of keeping the animal as a “pet.” Watch the video:
#VideosLaJornada / Familia de #Durango caza a guacamaya verde; @PROFEPA_Mx recupera al ave
Fue por medio de un video que subió Biankaa González a su Facebook donde presumía la captura de un ave exótica en peligro de extinción, una guacamaya verde.
NOTA; https://t.co/GD2rKYf8z7 pic.twitter.com/5mt0k9avSV
— La Jornada (@lajornadaonline) July 8, 2020
As the macaw called out and languished on the ground, some family members apparently realized that the bird might die from the injury. Instead of seeking help for the badly injured animal, the family reportedly scrambled around and shouted, “Shoot another one! Shoot another one!”
Government Officials Rescued and Treated the Military Macaw
Fortunately, PROFEPA—Mexico’s federal environmental protection agency—found the macaw after analyzing a video that one of the family members had reportedly posted on social media. The bird was rescued and treated by local veterinarians, who claimed that the left wing had been wounded by a .22 caliber bullet, which penetrated close to the bone.
Gracias al personal médico del Zoológico Sahuatoba, que con la confianza de @PROFEPA_Mx en #Durango, atiende de manera oportuna a una guacamaya herida por bala en días anteriores. Esta especie es nativa del estado y cataloga en peligro de extinción. pic.twitter.com/7GSDK2IiAm
— Jorge Salum (@JorgeSalum) July 9, 2020
Even in a best-case scenario, months of recovery will be necessary before the macaw will be able to fly and be free again.
https://twitter.com/TonyGaytanGGL/status/1281593228639207424
Military macaws should never be hunted, captured, or sold.
Their populations have been drastically depleted in recent years—just to satisfy human whims.
#EnTiempo | Guacamaya Verde herida por bala en Pueblo Nuevo seguirá tratamiento para su recuperación en el Zoológico Sahuatoba.
➡️https://t.co/oM5n5Xp5nP#Durango #Noticias #TiempoYEspacio pic.twitter.com/pnT8ktzOMf
— Canal10durango (@canal10durango) July 11, 2020
Indiscriminate deforestation, illegal hunting, the theft of chicks, and wildlife trafficking have all left the military macaw—and other macaw species—in a precarious situation.
La #Guacamaya Verde o Ara militaris es un buen indicador de la biodiversidad y la conservación, diciéndonos precisamente que andamos mal, actúa #Durango pic.twitter.com/1AM4cG0R1B
— Bl Durango Turistico (@durangoturistic) January 11, 2018
The Governor of Durango Must Intervene to Prevent Such Violence
The capture of and trade in wild parrots has been banned in Mexico since 2008, but incidents like this one keep occurring. Military macaws are legally protected, and anyone who harms them should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Mexican authorities must set a precedent to deter this kind of cruelty.
You can leave a comment on one of the governor of Durango’s Instagram posts asking him to end such atrocities.
Por demás reprobable el asesinato de la #Guacamaya en nuestro #Durango.
Me sumo a las múltiples solicitudes de justicia y que autoridades correspondientes procedan contra responsables!!
Esto no podemos permitirlo, es una insensibilidad brutal.@PROFEPA_Mx @AispuroDurango pic.twitter.com/K4dRPQYaoe
— Cynthia Mont (@c_mont22) July 9, 2020
Animals shouldn’t be gunned down and taken away from their natural habitat. This family’s actions were utterly selfish. It’s speciesist to believe that we have the right to make animals’ lives miserable by tearing them away from their families and homes and denying them their freedom simply because we can.
