Essay On California Condor

A bird that looks like a giant vulture does not usually have charisma nor hold a place in people’s hearts. There is one bird that seems to have transcended this prejudice, inspiring enough passion to create panic at the idea of its extinction. This bird is the Gymnogyps californianus or better known as the California condor. When its numbers began to drop in the mid-20th century, a frenzy began in order to understand why it was disappearing and attempt to bring it back. With the dedication of various groups, the numbers now continue to rise each year. It could be considered one of the most successful conservation efforts to date, but it still faces many challenges that must be resolved before the condor can be considered a complete success. The California condor is hope for all the species that are starting to disappear and a reminder that this is only the beginning of a journey to a sustainable world. To conserve any species, there must be a general understanding about how the species lives and functions in its ecosystem. The California condor is the largest flying bird in North America. This is thanks to its …show more content…
The first chick was born in 1988, which was followed by four in 1989 and eight in 1990. 13 were born the next year, and 12 were born the year after that. During this time, the Fisheries and Wildlife Service were developing a release program by working with the better managed Andean condor from South America. They attempted their first release of the California condor in 1989 when they placed 13 females into the Los Padres National Forest. It was a relative success; although, one bird died, and two had to be recaptured. From then on, the releases continued when two young California condors paired with two Andean condors were placed at the Sespe Condor Sanctuary in the beginning of 1992. In December of that same year another six born several months earlier were introduced to the wild (Cohn