It is 2002. The new millennium has just arrived, with new challenges in areas such as climate and nature. Against that background, Versele-Laga is also reflecting on its mission. After all, a company is not only what it produces, but also what it does for society. Versele-Laga takes its customers seriously; customers who are increasingly worried about the situation of their beloved birds in the wild. And it wonders what it can do to help those bird species that are on the verge of extinction.
Versele-Laga briefly considers whether to create a foundation and start its own projects. However, in order to decide who and what to support, a thorough knowledge of the local situation is required. A large part of the operating resources would have to be devoted to that. Thanks to existing contacts with Loro Parque, we learn about the Loro Parque Fundación, established in 1994. This foundation has an identical vision on nature conservation, whereby endangered birds are bred in a controlled manner, outside their normal environment, to create a buffer against extinction, and to make a possible reintroduction into the wild possible. The foundation also decides independently about the nature conservation projects and does not have to spend large sums of money on preliminary costs. A new collaboration is born.
The list of endangered species becomes longer every year. In total, more than 25,000 animal species are now facing extinction. The fight for the conservation of animal species is therefore an important fight, in which we must take our responsibility too. That is precisely why the Loro Parque Fundación was set up. The Loro Parque Fundación financially supports various projects around the world to safeguard and protect the most threatened ecosystems.
There are also several parrot species on the list of endangered species. A well-known example is the blue-throated macaw, of which only about 300 individuals are thought to remain in the wild. By protecting the natural habitat of the local parrots, many species can be conserved. At the same time, the Loro Parque Fundación organises educational programmes and symposiums on site, sponsors various local research and conservation projects and it has its own breeding station: La Vera.
A reserve population of highly endangered species is kept in that breeding station. The ultimate resort for parrot species that are threatened with extinction! Thanks to the foundation, ten species of parrot species were saved from extinction, while for many other species the population improved in the wild.
In 2002, we committed ourselves to a cooperation agreement with Loro Parque Fundación, because we share the same vision on active nature conservation and in this way perfectly complement each other.
Through this cooperation, Loro Parque Fundación is assured of the necessary financial resources in the longer term. For every packaging sold, an amount also goes to the Fundación. The foundation's Advisory Board determines independently for which projects this money is used. There is also regular consultation between their scientists and ours and joint research projects on nutrition are conducted. In 2018, Versele-Laga and Loro Parque Fundación agreed to extend and enhance their cooperation.
As a result of our collaboration we were asked by Loro Parque to develop the best mixtures for the parrots and parakeets in the park. Our nutrition experts, together with the specialists from Loro Parque, accepted the challenge. After extensive research, it was decided to divide parrots and parakeets into six groups, based on their natural habitat and their natural feeding pattern. A specific mixture was put together for each of these groups. That proved to be a major success.
The Prestige Premium mixtures are composed of a large variety of seeds and grains. They also contain a number of delicacies that the birds love, such as pumpkin seeds, rosehip, dried peppers, pine nuts, puffed grains, and so forth. The abundant VAM pellets provide the necessary vitamins, amino acids and minerals. These high-quality mixtures were tested for a long time in the park to the great satisfaction of the caretakers and, of course, the parrots and parakeets. Due to the success of the feed, Versele-Laga and the Loro Parque Fundación decided to make the mixtures available to every bird lover. And there is more...
Since then, bird lovers cannot only use the premium mixtures that the best zoo in the world uses, but each bird lover also supports the Loro Parque Fundación by buying the mixtures! This is possible because for each package sold Versele-Laga donates an amount to the foundation. This way, the Loro Parque Fundación can further step up its fight for the protection and conservation of parrots and other animal species. By choosing the Loro Parque Prestige Premium mixtures, every bird lover can support this vital non-profit organisation and help to conserve the animal species that he himself is passionate about. That is a decisive argument for more and more bird lovers.