The Government of the Azores promotes another edition of the "SOS Cagarro" (SOS Corey's Shearwater) campaign. It will run from today to November 15, which coincides with the departure of juvenile Cory's Shearwaters from the nests to their first transoceanic flight.

The "SOS Cagarro" campaign will officially begin at 8 PM with the visit of Ribeirinha Scouts Group to the "Casa do Parque" (House Park) in the Protected Landscape of Monte da Guia, Faial Island. The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and the Environment, Luís Neto Viveiros, will also participate in this visit.

The "Casa do Parque," which now serves as the headquarters of the "SOS Cagarro" campaign on Faial, will be the starting point for the volunteer Night Brigades as well as the main venue where the main actions related to this campaign will take place, including the reception, placement of tags and treatment of rescued birds, and several environmental awareness raising actions.

At the end of the visit, scouts will go to Avenida 25 de Abril in the city of Horta, where they will raise the awareness of drivers for the need to adopt a responsible and attentive driving, as there is a large number of juveniles that get lost along the roads at this time of the year and are at serious risk of being hit by a car.

This action has the support of the National Republican Guard and the Public Safety Police of Horta.

The Azores are home to nearly 188 thousand breeding Cory's Shearwaters couples, i.e., 75% of the world population of the Calonectris diomedea borealis subspecies and 60-65% of the world population of Calonectris diomedea. Therefore, it is crucial to promote actions aimed at the protection and conservation of this species in the archipelago.

This campaign has been held in the Azores since 1995. Its primary goal is to involve people and entities in the rescue of juvenile Cory's Shearwaters found along the roads and in nearby areas.
Nearly 7,000 birds were rescued last year, which is about the double of the average number recorded over the last seven years.

Some of the juvenile Cory's Shearwaters that were saved in the Azores over seven years ago have already returned to the archipelago to mate and nest.

In order to learn how to participate in this initiative, volunteers may contact the Natural Park of their island, consult the Internet page at soscagarro.azores.gov.pt or email to [email protected].

The implementation of the "SOS Cagarro" campaign in its various forms involves the participation of the Regional Secretariat for the Sea, Science and Technology, the Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and the Environment as well as of Azorina, S.A.