Hybrid Green-winged x Scarlet macaw.

Hatched 1989, arrived at NLPR on 29th October 1995 at 6 years old.

Precious was the result of hybridisation under the management of a UK zoo. When she was a chick in the nest box she sustained a fall that injured her back and dislocated her pelvic bone, leaving her partially paralysed down the left side of her body. She was then taken away from her parents and had to be hand reared. The zoo sold her to a private person who kept her locked in a shed, on a wire top for three years. Mercifully, her captor advertised her for sale. A couple looking for a Scarlet macaw as a companion to their own bird, felt sorry for precious and so bought her.

Three years of isolation had resulted in unsociable behaviour toward other birds; Precious did not get on with her person's Scarlet macaw, but was fascinated with their two dogs, much to her detriment.

It took one moment for this opportunistic, strong-willed bird to sneak up to the dogs, unsupervised, whilst they were eating their dinners. She incurred an attack, lost the sight in one eye but escaped with her life. Injuries extended to skull indentation and caused the left eye to roll inward. Precious was lucky to survive. However, she lived without learning her lesson, and incurred another attack from the two dogs. Fortunately, this time human intervention was swift and so she was spared painful injuries, though in this incident she nearly lost the sight from her right eye which also rolled inward. Thankfully, she was also spared total blindness when the right eye corrected its position, unlike the left eye.

Precious was finally placed into our care for her own safety!

This wonderful macaw of nine lives is very active despite her partial paralysis, which renders her flightless. She can be very raucous and has an over-inquisitive nature, which has resulted in quite a few scrapes, but she remains none the wiser for all her experiences. We believe the root of her problem is that her psyche is more dog than bird. She remains unsociable toward other birds, but through constant exposure and supervision, her tolerance level has increased.

On a final note, she is an extremely loyal, affectionate, family orientated bird.

Precious is one of our Sponsored Adoption birds. Please click here if you would like to sponsor her.