The Ridgway’s Hawk (Buteo ridgwayi) is found only on the island of Hispaniola and is one of the rarest animals in the world. With a total population of just 300 remaining individuals in the wild, the Ridgway’s Hawk is highly threatened with extinction due to habitat loss and indiscriminate hunting of the hawks.

The PUNTACANA Ecological Foundation has teamed with the Hispaniola Ornithological Society (SOH) and the Peregrine Fund in an attempt to increase the population of these hawks through controlled reintroductions in the Punta Cana region coupled with a comprehensive environmental education program. Since 2009, the project has successfully reintroduced eight hawks into the Indigenous Eyes Ecological Park and Reserve. The end goal is create a breeding population within five years.

Each reintroduction begins with months of monitoring adult nest sites in Los Haitises National Park, after which juvenile hawks are captured and transported to Punta Cana where rigorous examinations are conducted to ensure the health of the juvenile hawks. Once proven healthy and fit for reintroduction the chicks are then transported to a hacking box in the Indigenous Eyes Ecological Park and Reserve. All hawks are fitted with radio collars and tags so they can be monitored using radio telemetry. For several weeks, scientists and volunteers regularly bring food to the hawks and monitor them constantly. Soon the hawks begin taking test flights and familiarizing themselves with their new surroundings. Eventually, after several months, the hawks will leave the hacking box and look for new habitats in the area.