An Andean condor with lead in its blood, a pellet embedded in its skull, and a satellite tracker from Argentina, which is being treated in Chile, highlights the challenges in conserving this endangered species.
The bird was sick and unable to fly when agents from the Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG) of Chile found it and took it to the National Zoo for treatment.
It was then that the veterinarians found the tracker and detected high levels of lead in its blood, emphasizing the impact of human intervention and the need for international cooperation to conserve the species.
“The condor is between Chile and Argentina moving; it does not recognize geographical or political boundaries,” said Guillermo Cubillos, head of research and conservation at the National Zoo of Chile, who urged for international conservation and tracking efforts.
“We cannot make a conservation plan for the condor in Chile with a monitoring plan if we do not involve, for example, researchers or the Argentine government,” he added.
Cubillos stated that the huge bird has gone extinct in Venezuela and is on the brink of disappearance in Colombia. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), it is estimated that there are only 6,700 wild condors left.
During a Reuters visit to one of the largest landfills in Chile in Tiltil, about 60 kilometers north of Santiago, there were dozens of condors feeding on garbage around the area.
The veterinarians said that the condor with high levels of lead in its blood ate something that was contaminated or consumed prey with high lead levels.
“We have to monitor, of course, these places where wildlife intersects with our human activities, such as landfills,” said Mauricio Fabry, head of the Environment Department of the capital government.
Such care is necessary “so that this species, which is so relevant to the ecosystem that transforms death into life, continues to exist in our landscapes,” he added.