Hopefully the new law, alongside conservation measures, will ensure that this is not the only image of an Andean Condor left in Peru in years to come.For the first time, a team of scientists strapped recording equipment they called “daily diaries” to eight condors in Patagonia to record each wingbeat over more than 250 hours of flight time. One of the best known of the Nazca Lines (the geoglyphs that were mysteriously carved into the Peruvian desert over 1,500 years ago) is the depiction of a 445 foot (135m) condor. As Andean Condors do not reproduce until they are 5 years old, and lay only one or two eggs every other year, they will need this help to allow their numbers to recover.Īndean people have held the belief that Andean Condors are sacred for thousands of years. The bill would also lead to the creation of a captive breeding programme. The law would declare them to be a “national treasure” and anybody who hurts or kills a condor would face a jail sentence of between 3 and 5 years. Politicians are fighting back – a bill has been introduced to the Peruvian Congress that would help to protect the birds. They are rich enough to sponsor a Yawar festival, which has become a status symbol. More and more Peruvians from rural areas are making money in cities and then returning to their local village. And Peru’s growing economy means that this number may increase further. Some festivals use several condors, and up to 55 festivals take place each year. Conservationists estimate that 10-20% of condors are killed during the festivals. Ultimately, the bull is slaughtered and the condor is set free, however, the condor often suffers from broken bones if the bull falls on its side or crashes into a wall, not to mention the trauma both condor and bull must experience. It is supposed to demonstrate the triumph of indigenous culture, represented by the condor, over the colonial influence, represented by the bull. The clawing of the bird’s talons enrages the bull, and the local people take turns to run in front of it. During this festival, a condor is strapped to the back of a bull. But a growing, and illegal, threat is a local ritual called the “Yawar” festival. The threats of hunting, trade in feathers and body parts, habitat loss, the modernisation of farming and a decreasing supply of carrion have all played their part in their decline in Peru. In Peru, however, the Frankfurt Zoological Society estimates there to be no more than 500 condors left. In total, there are believed to around 10,000 Andean Condors in the world, classified as ‘near threatened’ by the IUCN. They are isolated from each other and, as a result, are vulnerable to the long-term risks of inbreeding, such as birth defects and infertility. Once this population was connected all along the mountain range, but now their population is fragmented. They inhabit the Andean Mountains in South America, ranging as far north as Columbia and south to Patagonia. With a massive wingspan of 10 feet (3 metres), they can fly up to 100 miles (160km) in just one day. The Andean Condor is one of the largest and most impressive birds in the world. By Alex Taylor on 6th February 2013 in Bird Conservation, World Conservation Issues Image: By Hugo Pédel / France, via Wikimedia Commons
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