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In February 2016, conservation biologist Dr. George Olah set off with 8 other members of an international scientific expedition to the Candamo Basin in the Peruvian Amazon, host to one of the very few uninhabited tropical rainforests in the world. It took four days to reach their destination, but after setting up their base camp in the rainforest, researchers climbed giant trees, investigated nest hollows, captured and tagged young macaws, and collected blood samples and feathers for genetic analysis. Doing serious scientific work in the Amazon is not an easy feat. Jaguars visited the camp, wasps attacked the climbers, and parasites hunted and bit every free piece of skin. Despite all the challenges, the team returned to the lab with invaluable samples that will help us understand the status of an isolated parrot population. This documentary chronicles this important work.

Wildlife Messengers is a nonprofit organization creating scientific and educational film projects based on their importance for conservation and whether a resultant film can actually contribute to decision making and protection. Many of their projects take place in countries with lower industrial bases and concern topics that are not considered profitable by mainstream media. They look for projects most in need of urgent conservation actions. They always seek the participation of local communities during the preparation, filming, and postproduction stages of a project. It was founded by Dr. George Olah, Dr. Cintia Garai, and Robert Carruba. Their macaw footage was seen in David Attenborough’s Seven Worlds One Planet.

Dr. Olah is a scientist and conservation geneticist mainly working on parrots and other birds. He received his Master of Science degree in Zoology at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Hungary and his PhD in conservation biology from Australian National University. He has participated in many field based research projects on parrots in Central and South America. He worked for the Tambopata Macaw Project in the Peruvian Amazon for several years and has been a lodge manager for one of the largest Peruvian ecotourist companies.

Email info@theparrotclub.org for a Zoom link.