First professional appointment in Buenos Aires

Hi Everyone, Wanted to tell you about my experience yesterday at the Buenos Aires Zoo. I met several of the biologists working on the Andean Condor recovery program and viewed their incubation and rearing program and saw two condoritos born in November that will be set free in Sept. Was very interesting. They also showed me a software program they have with Google Earth showing years of GPS tracking on particular birds at various release sites. You can watch the distribution range from year to year and compare the range of adult birds released to juveniles released and differences between male and females. They only provide food for the 1st year (unlike with the CA Condor where we feed them forever because of the threat of lead poisoning from bullets in carcasses), but the females will keep returning to the release site. In the Andes, the birds are definitely picking up on the winds and able to travel very far distances. I learned that the largest threat to the Andean condor is not necessarily lead in bullets as is the main problem in the US, but the misconception that condors are raptors and killing herd animals, meaning people shoot them. The other problem is poison for predator control and condors landing on utility poles. In California, PG&E is receptive to working with us to modify electric lines to reduce electricution of condors using a plastic coated wire near the power sources. However, the biologists here tell me that there is no incentive for the power companies here to make any changes. Perhaps with further education efforts this may change. A very neat part of their program is that it is equally important to spend energy on the biology/monitoring of the birds during a release as it is to work closely with the community, gaining mutual respect. They have school programs and other education materials that are given throughout the community (I am bringing back some of the material - will be good for us to use some of the language for our spanish speaking audiences in California). They work very hard in building relationships with the indigenous community as well, and these people (who have the memory of the cultural significance of the condor) are included hand in hand with every release. The cultural and ecological message are placed together. I am going to bring back some photos depicting this - for each condor release into the wild there is a cultural ceremony.

Very interesting time so far and we know this will continue! Nise Louie