Animals Endangered - The Condor
Animals Endangered - The Condor is a spectacular bird, massive, powerful, intelligent and beautiful.
It is hard to believe this wonderful animal faces deletion from planet Earth.
Take a moment and watch this video.
Condor is the name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere. Vultures, don't let the name or their eating habits influence your thoughts about this bird. It is intelligent and beautiful in flight.
Recently I came to understand the wonder involved with birds. For years I believed a bird was just a bird and a dog just a dog. I didn't give much thought to the Condor and fact they are living creatures which have social habits, communication skills and even emotions.
I think. I was talking with a couple who live in Cambria, California my place of residence. This couple told me about families of crows which lived in their neighborhood. They told me about how the spoke to the bird and learned how to identify specific sounds from the birds and its meaning.
At first I thought they were nuts. Later I did a little research on the inteligence of birds and discover that what I had been told was a possibility.
According to Seaworld.org the condor is among animals endangered. This is what the report says, California condor.
1. Species distribution.
The California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) once ranged throughout the coastal regions of North America, from British Columbia to Baja California, and from Florida to New York. By the 1800s the condors were restricted to the Pacific coast. Today they live only in the Sespe Condor Sanctuary in Southern California, the Los Angeles Zoo, and the San Diego Wild Animal Park.
2. Reasons for endangerment.
California condors used to number in the thousands. By 1939 their numbers were estimated to be under 100, and by 1982 only 21 to 24 birds remained in the wild. Reasons for their decline include habitat loss, poaching, a low reproductive rate, electrocution by high-voltage wires, and poisoning by eating animal carcasses that contained lead.
3. Conservation efforts.
In 1981, the California Department of Fish and Game permitted the San Diego Zoological Society and the Los Angeles Zoo to breed condors. Chicks and eggs were first collected for the program, but due to continued threats to adults in the wild, all birds were captured by 1987.
The breeding program has been successful, with over 50 birds now in captivity.
Eight birds have been reintroduced into the Sespe Condor Sanctuary and future releases are being planned.
The California condor is listed as endangered by the Endangered Species Act, the IUCN/World Conservation Union, and Appendix 1 of CITES.
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