As I talk with more and more young people today I find that their knowledge of the natural world is woefully unimpressive. This shows just why certain conservation efforts to protect animals and plants are failing all over the world. But there are a few success stories, so instead of talking about long dead creatures such as the Dodo, or the Tasmanian Tiger, today’s concentration will be on positive conservation attempt. The magnificent creature profiled today was brought to the edge by man, and like wise brought back from it. Flying proudly over the skies of the Southwest US the California Condor casts a shadow of what could be if man can protect the natural world.
The California Condor holds an enigmatic place in the current pop culture of today. These are large birds that belong to the a new world order of vultures Carthartidae. The large black birds that due too several coinciding factors were driven to almost extinction by man now hold at tentative toe hold on existence. This bird has the largest wing span in North America, and also is one of the heaviest birds on the continent. Birds primarily feed off of carrion, quite unlike its cousin the Andean Condor which actually preys on small animals. These birds have one of the longest lifespans of any bird with documented cases having been verified to 50 plus years.
The California Condor has been present on the North American continent from around the Pleistocene in one form or other. The genus, Gymnogyps , has only one modern day member which is the California Condor. Due to climate change as well as human encroachment the entire genus save for the California Condor was extinct by modern times. Modern man found the Condors feathers attractive and used the birds in many ceremonial rituals further stressing the population. This was due to the appearance of the bird, adults have an all black plumage with a feathered neck These birds do have the ability to flush their bald head and necks as a form of a communication. Large adult birds have no natural enemies other than man’s ever present threat.
By the time humans arrived in North America the Condor flew over all the continent. Due to the influences stated above the modern range of the birds had been reduced to the West Coast and Southwest as of European discovery of the New World. Of course the Condor’s range continued too shrink until the modern day almost extinction. There are currently two reserves that are solely dedicated to the California Condor, encompassing prime scrub land, coniferous forests or oak savannahs with areas of cliffs and huge trees that the Condors prefer to establish as their territory. Also the Condor has been reintroduced to the Grand Canyon.
Current conservation of the Condors has had many hurdles to overcome. The Condor is extremely susceptible to lead poisoning from fragmented lead bullets due to the nature of their digestive tracts. Also DDT took a devastating toll on the birds which has lead to a captive breeding program that has successfully saved the birds. Current conservation measures include several conditiong programs that make the birds avoid people and power lines that the modern birds have been killing themselves on.
The California Condor continues to be a conservation success story. As every new bird is introduced to the wild and as every wild breeding pair has successfully clutches it just shows how resilient life on this planet can truly be. It was my pleasure to see these magnificent creatures in person, and it is my hope that everyone has the chance to do so.
Works Cited:
Condor Article
Wikipedia.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Condor
California Condor Facts
Defenders.org
http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/california_condor.php
California Condor
Npca.org
http://www.npca.org/wildlife_protection/wildlife_facts/condor.html