Iberia to transport 14 southern banded snake eagles from Madrid to New York as part of conservation project

In collaboration with Spain’s Fundación Aquila and the SÍA – Comanche Nation Ethno-Ornithological Initiative, dedicated to conserving endangered birds of prey.

Madrid, Spain, 2014-1-31 — /travelprnews.com/ — The Fundación Aquila and Iberia have taken 14 southern banded snake eagles from Madrid to New York where, after quarantine, they will be taken to a breeding facility operated by the Sia–Comanche Nation Ethno-Ornithological Initiative in Oklahoma.

The eagles have all suffered injuries and cannot be returned to the wild, but they are suitable for the breeding programme run by the Sía (“feather” in the Comanche language) initiative with the cooperation of the Fundación Aquila.
The Fundación Aquila conducts medical and assisted reproduction research at its “Centre for Holistic Research Centre for Maintaining Variability and Improving the Diagnosis of Pathologies in Endangered Bird Species” in Oropesa, Toledo province. The Biodiversidad foundation also plays a role.

In keeping with its corporate social responsibility policies, Iberia collaborates closely with several groups working to rescue and preserve endangered species, such as the Migres foundation, which Iberia helped with the re-introduction of the fishing eagle to the Spanish southwestern provinces of Cadiz and Huelva. Iberia also contributes to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Since 2007 the airline has christened 15 of its aircraft with the names of endangers species of Spanish wildlife to help raise awareness around the world of threats to the country’s impressive biodiversity.

The Fundación Aguila and SIA are also engaged in a breeding program for the Spanish Imperial Eagle, under the convention established by the government of Spain’s Castilla – La Mancha region. In 2011, it achieved the first success ever in breeding an imperial eagle in captivity.

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