Andean condor rescued in Ecuador in critical condition due to possible poisoning

A subadult female condor in critical condition due to possible ingestion of poisoned carrion has been rescued in the area of the Antisana volcano, in the Ecuadorian province of Pichincha (Ecuador) , and transferred to the Guayllabamba Zoo for appropriate care.

The Andean Condor Foundation of Ecuador received an alert on Wednesday from park rangers at the Chakana Reserve, part of the Jocotoco Foundation, about the presence of "an Andean condor that was unable to fly , but was able to contain it and carefully move it to a safe area," it said in a statement.

At the scene it was found that it was a sub-adult female in serious condition: with very low body condition , low temperature and signs of pain.

The technical team from the Andean Condor Foundation came to the rescue of the specimen to perform the first medical examination and immediately transfer it to the Guayllabamba Zoo (near Quito), where it underwent a complete medical check-up, including X-rays, blood samples and swabs .

During the evaluation, the animal presented nausea and vomiting, which, combined with other clinical signs, "raises suspicion of possible poisoning from eating poisoned carcasses," he noted. He added that, following the protocol shared by the Andean Condor Conservation Program (PCCA) in Argentina, the animal was given intravenous fluids, oxygen, vitamins, and stabilizing treatment.

He is currently under intensive care under video surveillance, temperature control, and carefully fed. "Despite everything, he managed to eat a little, which gives us a glimmer of hope," she said.

As part of an emergency technical response in these cases, a search operation will be launched to identify poisoned carcasses and other potentially affected individuals within a 40-kilometer radius of where the specimen was found, "prioritizing areas with recent history of conflicts with wildlife," he added.

Noting that the current estimated condor population is 150 across the country , the Foundation recalled that between 2018 and 2019, 20 condors died in the Andean province of Cotopaxi (center) in a case of poisoned carrion, which represented 13 percent of the population.

Among the causes of death of condors recorded since 1970 (139 documented), are: 66 percent by poisoning, 13 percent by shooting and 17 percent by causes such as electrocution, dog attacks, collisions , among others.

The Andean Condor Foundation has been working continuously for more than 10 years to protect the Andean condor , through scientific research on the species, satellite tagging and monitoring, censuses, emergency response and rescues, environmental education and community outreach, as well as human-wildlife conflict management.

In May 2021, WWF stated that Colombia likely has fewer condors than previously thought. In the First National Andean Condor Census, approximately 63 condors were recorded in the country.

"For every female, there are 1.3 specimens of the opposite sex, which experts described as a relatively balanced ratio. In terms of age, there are more adult condors than immature ones, with 0.43 juveniles recorded for every adult. These data raise an initial alarm due to the apparent low presence of immature individuals (subadults and juveniles) in the populations, which could affect reproductive cycles," the institution explains.

The main sighting areas were in the Northeastern Andes region, followed by the Caribbean. No condors were recorded in Cundinamarca, despite having several monitoring points.