Andean Condors make new home at Feathered Friends sanctuary

Jocelyn Airth, The Sunday TelegraphDecember 22, 2018 11:26am

Australia’s last and only pair of breeding Andean Condors took flight at Feathered Friends as the sanctuary opened its new Breeding, Research and Recovery Centre.

The endangered species is the largest raptor in the world, weighing up to 15kg with a wingspan of up to 3.2m. 

Director Ravi Wasan was excited to welcome the magnificent birds into the growing family of exotic and endangered species at the sanctuary.

“They’re such a cool species, considered to be the largest flying bird in the world. The female’s incredibly inquisitive, active and agile. The male is a bit shy at first, but has a great boofhead personality,” Mr Wasan said.

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Andean condors protected by land purchase

January 2014: More than 270,000 acres of critical wildlife habitat in Ecuador has been purchased by the Rainforest Trust. The mammoth property acquisition, which includes the 18,714-foot Antisana Volcano, will create a permanent refuge for the largest population of Andean Condor in the Northern Andes.

The final 6,100 acre property, called Hacienda Antisanilla, was acquired today to complete a project by Rainforest Trust with Fundación Jocotoco, the Municipality of Quito, and the Quito Water Authority in a coordinated effort that will both protect endangered species and secure an important source of drinking water for Ecuador’s capital city.

“The purchase of multiple properties around Volcan Antisana represents one of the greatest conservation victories ever in the Andes of South America,” said Dr. Robert Ridgely, President of Rainforest Trust and a driving force behind this conservation success. “The final acquisition of Hacienda Antisanilla caps a decade-long effort by Rainforest Trust and our Ecuadorian partner Fundación Jocotoco to protect this fragile and biodiverse ecosystem. We are grateful to all of the partners, organizations and donors who made this possible, including The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, who provided critical support to acquire the Hacienda Antisanilla property.”

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Zoo's Hope of Love Connection Soars with New Resident

The Denver Zoo recently welcomed a new resident, dubbed Andy D., to their Andean condor exhibit. The 22-year-old joined resident condor Evita under the recommendation of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Species Survival Plan with the hope that sparks will fly between the two condors and the two will have chicks. So far things seem to be going pretty well between the two.

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Andean Condors released into wild after poisoning scare

Endangered Condors have been released back into the wild high up in Chile's Andes.

It comes after a poisoning scare in the area which saw more than a dozen of the large birds mysteriously crash to the ground earlier this month.

Denise Hammick reports.

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Andean Condor in Ecuador fitted with satellite tracking transmitter for first time

Endangered bird rescued, rehabilitated and released

August 2013. Wearing identification tag #1 on his wing, a young Andean Condor was released into the wild on high in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador, where he has become a national symbol for the effort to save the species from extinction.

Critically Endangered in Ecuador

It was the first time that a condor in Ecuador - where the birds are critically endangered - has been released with a satellite transmitter. Andean Condors are listed as "Near Threatened" on the IUCN Red List. The device will allow biologists to track his movements and study condor habitat requirements, foraging behaviour, and roosting sites.

"This is an important first step in better understanding the status of the Andean Condor in Ecuador," said J. Peter Jenny, president of The Peregrine Fund, an Idaho-based conservation group that is helping to fund the study.

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Fight of the condor: Peru bull fiestas threaten future of rare Andean bird

Jonathan Watts in Ihuayllo

The Guardian, Tuesday 29 January 2013

Dramatic Yawar festivals are designed to show the triumph of indigenous culture over colonial influence, but the number of condors injured and killed raises fears for the species' survival.

At a raucous mountain festival high in the Peruvian Andes, a brass band and booming loudspeaker herald the arrival of the most eagerly awaited spectacle.

With the wings of an angel and the horns of a devil, the tonne of life that flaps and bucks and charges into the bullring at first resembles a strange mythological beast.

Snorting and kicking up dust, the hybrid – a raging bull with a condor strapped to its back – strikes awe in a watching crowd as it thunders into the arena, then excitement as it repeatedly attempts to gore a matador. The closer the enraged beast comes to a lethal connection, the louder the cheers of "Olé!".

The spectacle is dramatic, comic and tragic at the same time. While the bull provides the sound and fury, the Andean condor on its back cuts a ridiculous and pathetic sight as it flails wildly back and forth, beating its wings to retain balance on a bucking perch.

The ritual appears designed to show the triumph of indigenous culture over colonial influence. The Andean bird rides the symbol of Spanish virility and is then released, while the bulls are often slaughtered.

But there are accidents. The giant bird – the biggest in the western hemisphere – loses feathers and risks breaking bones or being killed if its mount crashes into the wall or stumbles on its side.

Such customs might barely register overseas if they were rare and the population of Andean vultures was abundant. But the opposite is true, which has created a mounting conservation concern.

"We know there are up to 55 Yawar fiestas a year, some of which use several condors. And some condors are dying.

Continued: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/29/condor-peru-bull-fight-andes

Save the Colca condors – Visit one of the most spectacular wildlife sights in the world

Andean condor over the Colca Canyon.

The condors of the Colca Canyon- Written by Powell Ettinger, editor of Wildlife Extra
January 2013. In 1987 I was only vaguely interested in wildlife. A couple of friends of mine had persuaded me to leave the rat race behind for a few months and head off to South America. Peru was a real eye opener for me. I had hear all about the great Inca cities, and the mysterious Nazca lines, but what really stuck in the memory was the people, the extraordinary scenic diversity (Mountains, deserts, jungle and coast all within a few hours of each other) and the wildlife.

My first real wildlife experience was one that has formed much of my career since. We travelled for a day or so into the foothills of the Andes to the Colca Canyon, reputedly the deepest in the world at around 1 mile from top to bottom. We travelled to see the canyon itself, and also the remarkable scene at dawn on the edge of the canyon. We camped near the rim, and met some extraordinary hospitality from some local farmers and their families, who shared their packed lunch with us; Maize bread, roast maize, maize soup & maize beer.

We were the happy recipients of some wonderful hospitality from the local farmers. How much more would they look after the condors if their economy received a boost from condor tourism?

At dawn we raised ourselves and sat on the edge of the canyon, and as the sun warmed the air, we could just about make out swirling shapes moving a thousand feet below us. As we sipped our coffee, one of my companions suddenly swore loudly and fell backwards off the rock he was sitting on, spilling the coffee onto one shoulder. A dark shape, had appeared silently, and a great speed, out of the depths of the canyon. Naturally we missed this photo opportunity, but it lingers in the memory as clear as any high res image now. 

Read on:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/colca-canyon-condors.html