Parrots International Symposium 2008

The fourth annual Parrots International Symposium, to take place on 31 May and 1 June 2008, will have the theme “Parrots of the Caribbean”. This increasingly popular symposium, which will take place on board the HMS Queen Mary in Long Beach, California, is hosted by Parrots International with the aim of increasing knowledge about wild and companion parrots through the sharing of information on parrot conservation and field research.

Parrots International is an organization of volunteers with a wide range of experience, talents, knowledge and education. This enthusiastic team is dedicated to the conservation of any endangered parrot species, as well as to improving the welfare of all parrots in the wild. All knowledge gained through research efforts serves to benefit these beautiful birds, whether they are in the wild or household companions.

Parrots International Symposium 2008 is being co-sponsored by the UCLA Center for Tropical Research and the UCLA Institute of the Environment, with all proceeds going directly to the support of parrot related conservation projects. Participants in the Parrots International Symposium will have the opportunity to attend lectures by renowned experts and dedicated researchers from South America, the United Kingdom, Bonaire, Trinidad, various European countries, the Bahamas, Belgium, and different regions in the United States.

Parrots International Symposium 2008 will kick off on the Friday evening, 30 May, with a Speakers Reception. This promises to be a fun-filled evening of renewing old friendships and making new friends among like-minded people who have the welfare of parrots at heart. Dr. Mark L. Stafford, the President and co-founder of Parrots International, is a dentist by profession, but has a conservation background with BA degrees in both Environmental Studies and Environmental Biology. Dr. Stafford and his wife Marie devote much of their time and resources to visiting and evaluating conservation projects, and participants can enjoy Dr. Stafford’s presentation on projects that Parrots International are involved in.

Lectures will be presented by nineteen experts during the two-day symposium and participants can look forward to discussions on various research and conservation projects, including the Tambopata Research Project, the Gabriel Foundation, Yellow-shouldered Amazon Project and the Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Project. Topics that will be presented include parrot behavior, an update on the status of the Blue-throated Macaw, the risks of introduced parrots to island populations, the translocation of the Kuhl’s Lory, the reintroduction of the blue-and-gold Macaw to the Nariva Swamp in Trinidad, threatened parrots of Colombia and the Avian Flu Task Force.

Other features of the Parrots International Symposium 2008 include poster presentations, a banquet, silent auctions and loads of stunning prizes. Bird-lovers are sure to enjoy the Parrots International Symposium 2008, which promises to be both highly entertaining and educational – all with the focus on benefiting one of the world’s most popular group of birds.