Andean Condors poisoned in Colombia

12/02/2018

After last week’s large-scale poisoning of Andean Condors in Argentina was found to have been caused by Carbofuran, the Vulture Conservation Foundation (VCF) has reported another case of poisoning, this time from Colombia. Two condors were found dead in the country, where only around 100 individuals remain in the wild.

Poison is the biggest threat to vultures worldwide. This was the main conclusion of the Vulture Multi-species Action Plan, which was co-developed by VCF and has been recently endorsed by the Convention for Migratory Species (CMS). A significant part of this global action plan for vultures focuses on the fighting this threat.

In Europe, VCF is actively pursuing different lines to these ends, including a brand new project in the Balkans, where the organisation will be working and funding local partners in Croatia, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia and Greece to try to eradicate this illegal and highly damaging practice.

In South America, Fundación Bioandina Argentina (FBA), which is leading the Andean Condor Conservation Program of Argentina, is implementing similar actions, as cases of poisoning have grown exponentially. In the last 13 months, at least 66 condors were killed by poison in several provinces of the country.

Continued  

34 Andean Condors killed in Argentina in mass poisoning crime

The Vulture Multi-species Action Plan (Vulture MsAP), approved recently in the conference of the parties of the Convention for Migratory Species - a global strategic blueprint identifying priorities and actions to conserve 15 species of old world vultures – says it clearly: (illegal) poison with poisoned baits (often against predators of livestock) is the main threat to vultures worldwide.

The VCF is particularly active in fighting this threat and is implementing a number of projects across Europe including many actions against poisoning. We have also reported several times the dramatic episodes of poisoning affecting African vultures, in what is already known as the African vulture crisis, leading to several species being considered critically endangered. But the illegal use of poison occurs elsewhere too – as a tragic occurrence in Argentina shows.

At least 34 Andean condors (20 males and 14 females, and almost all adult birds) were found dead, apparently by poisoning, in a locality south of Mendoza. Andean condors (Vultur gryphus) are very large new world scavengers, that occur all along the Andean chain, from Venezuela to the Tierra del Fuego. With only about 6700 individuals left in the world, the species is facing rapid and steady population declines across its range, so this incident is significant and dealt a blow to the populations of the species in Argentina – in fact, it is the incident with the most massive mortality of Andean condors ever registered!

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