until recently, it was thought that the resplendent quetzal could not be bred or held for any long time in captivity, and indeed it was noted for usually killing itself soon after being captured or caged. for this reason it is a traditional symbol of liberty. however, the miguel álvarez del toro zoo in tuxtla gutiérrez, chiapas, mexico has kept this species since 1992, and in 2004 breeding in captivity was announced. a chick hatched and reached the age of six weeks at the time of the report.