*There is currently a population of 48 condors in Mexico.
By Once Noticias. Mexican Press Agency.
Considered an essential element of the vivid blue skies over the Sierra de San Pedro Mártir, the California condor is today the largest bird in North America.
With black plumage and white-tipped wings, this condor can soar at more than 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) above rocky peaks, thanks to its unique anatomy and an impressive wingspan of three meters (nearly 10 feet).
Thanks to a breeding and rescue program, the California condor—an innate scavenger and natural restorer—has brought renewed vitality to the environment of Baja California.
Successful Reintroduction into the Wild
Declared extinct in Mexico’s habitat in 1940, the California condor has been gradually and successfully returning home for the past two decades through a binational program between Mexico and the United States.
Some 2,500 kilometers away, at Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City, one of the key efforts is underway. The zoo hosts two breeding pairs that have successfully produced viable chicks for reintroduction into their natural habitat. These chicks are raised under the care of veterinary experts.
“Since then, 11 condors have been released into the wild, and we have two more that were born last year here in Mexico City, who are now ready to travel to the Sierra de San Pedro Mártir, possibly between July and August, to begin a pre-release process,” explained Fernando Gual Sill, General Director of Wildlife at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT).
At one-year old, one female and one male condor are being prepared for release. They have been raised with minimal human interaction to prevent them from becoming accustomed to human presence. Even as chicks, they were fed using puppets. In July or August, the young pair will be transported to San Pedro Mártir to begin their training.
“Once they arrive at an aviary built specifically for this purpose in the Sierra de San Pedro Mártir—to get them used to the climate and to other wild condors—they will spend nearly a year there before we ensure their reintroduction,” said Gual Sill.
A Natural Wonder at Risk of Extinction
The goal is for them to be released once they are ready, in order to increase the presence of this species that enriches Mexico’s biodiversity.
“There is currently an estimated population of 48 condors, and we expect to continue adding to this through both wild births in Baja California and those raised in U.S. zoos,” Gual affirmed.
To date, the California condor is classified as endangered under Mexico’s NOM-059 list of threatened species.
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