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https://reasonstobecheerful.world/threatened-california-condors-conservation-success/>
"Marco Wendt still remembers the first time a condor egg moved in his hand. “I
was scheduled for the overnight shift to observe the egg,” says the bird expert
while four massive adult condors doze before him on “Condor Ridge” in the San
Diego Zoo Safari Park. That night, he was holding the palm-sized whitish egg in
his hand when he heard a sound. “Then the tiniest crack appeared,” he remembers
with a grin, “and I was so fearful, handling it with the greatest care.”
Every condor egg is uniquely precious because these giant vultures usually only
produce one egg every other year. As Wendt explains, “If this egg is lost to a
predator or not fertilized, it affects the entire population because we lose a
whole year.”
Historically, thousands of California condors soared through the skies, ranging
from British Columbia to Baja California. Fossil records indicate that these
birds once even inhabited present-day Florida and New York. “The condor is a
keystone species,” Wendt says, pointing to the emblem of the San Diego Zoo
Wildlife Alliance that features condor wings next to a lion. “They are the
largest flying birds in North America, with a wingspan of up to 10 feet.” The
Inca believed the condors brought back the souls of the deceased. Indigenous
tribes traditionally held the condors in high esteem, viewing them as a symbol
of power, not only because of their massive wings and soaring power but also
because of their keen intelligence.
But by the time Wendt was born in 1982, only 22 remained. In 1986, the US Fish
and Wildlife Service took drastic, controversial action: they captured all
remaining condors from the wild to save them.
Now 537
Gymnogyps californianus soar over North America again, 334 of them in
the wild, with their characteristic rumbling wing swoosh that earned them the
nickname “thunderbird.” The iconic birds are slowly expanding their range
again, from Big Sur to Arizona and Baja California, not least thanks to Wendt
and his employer, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. This year, 11 eggs have
been laid at the “Condor-minium,” as Wendt and his colleagues playfully call
the breeding station, a large facility in a quiet part of the 1,800-acre safari
park where no visitors are allowed."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
