Puntacana Blogs
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
    • Puntacana Resort & Club
    • Golf at Puntacana
    • Six Sense Spa PCRC
  • YouTube
  • Facebook
    • Four Points by Sheraton
    • Puntacana Resort & Club
  • Puntacana Village

Protecting Ridgway’s Hawks from Extinction

8/21/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Imagine this: you are walking on our property near the Corales resort, and you notice a sign that there are hawks nearby. You look up and get a glimpse of one of the world’s most endangered species: the Ridgway’s hawk.
Though a bit smaller than some of the larger hawks in the world, this light grey bird is a definite sight to see, and something that previous visitors to the island would only have been likely to see at Los Haitises National Park. If you’re lucky enough to see them in February or March, you may even get to see them diligently building their nests in some of the taller trees on the resort.
Four years ago the Peregrine Fund and the PUNTACANA Ecological Foundation undertook an experimental project to reintegrate the Ridgway’s hawk back into the wild in Punta Cana. We are happy to say that this experiment has been a great success, and 2014 marks a standout year in which 29 individual hawks were released into the wild. Prior to 2014, the most successful year had only nine hawks released into the wild. The success of the project in 2014 shows us coming closer to the eventual goal of having a self-sustaining population of hawks in Punta Cana. However, the hard work isn’t over and there is still a lot to be done.

As mentioned previously, the only permanent habitat for the Ridgway’s hawk was Los Haitises National Park. This is changing given the exceptional year that we’ve had releasing hawks into the wild, but Los Haitises continues to be an important part of the work we’re doing to protect the endangered hawks. All of our hawks originally were taken from the populations at Los Haitises, thoroughly checked for any signs of illness, and then released. Luckily, multiple pairs of birds released in Punta Cana are now able to breed and expand the population right here in Punta Cana.

In fact, last year’s nesting efforts were so successful that The Peregrine Fund increased their efforts for 2014 and was able to release 29 hawks total, which is more than all of the previous releases combined. Furthermore, 2014 marks the first time that the project took care of chicks for the first month of their lives and then released them in the wild in Punta Cana, hoping this would cause their family to renest in Punta Cana. All in all, 2014 was a wildly successful year for the project, and it even celebrated its own holiday.

Ridgway’s Hawk Day takes place on May 25 and is our attempt to educate the local community about Ridgway’s hawks and provide information about how they can help these endangered birds. May 25 was chosen to commemorate the day last year that the first chick was hatched outside of Los Haitises National Park in over 30 years. School children from the local barrios were invited to the PUNTACANA Ecological Foundation to learn more about the hawks and see them up close and personal. Education is a high priority given that human intervention is one of the largest factors affecting endangered species. We want to make sure that people who come in contact with these hawks will treat them with respect and help them thrive.

As with the sea turtles, the Ridgway’s hawk is critically endangered, which means that they face a very real threat of extinction. The PUNTACANA Ecological Foundation and the Peregrine Fund are working hard to ensure the Ridgway’s hawk has a new, permanent population in Punta Cana, and the results of the project, especially in 2014, have been very promising. So, if you are on our resort and you see a sign for hawks, look up and enjoy the sight of a hawk that would not be there were it not for the hard work of many volunteers and experts.

For more information about protecting the Ridgway’s hawk, please join us on Facebook.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Puntacana Blogs

    Our new way of communication!


    Categories

    All
    Activities
    Corales Championship
    Four Points By Sheraton Puntacana Village
    Four Points By Sheraton Puntacana Village
    Fundación Ecológica
    Fundación Ecológica
    Grupo Puntacana
    Playa Blanca Restaurant
    Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ)
    PUNTACANA Village
    PUNTACANA Village
    Six Senses Spa
    Six Senses Spa
    Tortuga Bay Hotel
    Tortuga Bay Hotel
    Westin Puntacana Resort & Club

    ARCHIVES

    March 2021
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013

    Picture

    Picture
    • TripAdvisor



Click to set custom HTML
 Property of Grupo PUNTACANA
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
    • Puntacana Resort & Club
    • Golf at Puntacana
    • Six Sense Spa PCRC
  • YouTube
  • Facebook
    • Four Points by Sheraton
    • Puntacana Resort & Club
  • Puntacana Village