[TN-Bird] Fwd: Condor Chick found Dead at GCNP
- From: OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx
- To: missbird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, albirds@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2005 17:10:54 EST
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=20
In a message dated 3/30/2005 8:12:17 A.M. Central Standard Time, =20
jwdavis@xxxxxxxxx writes:
First condor chick hatched in the wild in decades is found dead
GRAND CANYON, Ariz. ? Biologists have located the dead body of the first
condor chick hatched in the wild in Arizona in more than 80 years. On
Saturday, March 26, the chick's body was found inside Grand Canyon Nationa=
l
Park.
The chick was just under two years old, having hatched on May 3, 2003 in a
nest cave near the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. The bird had
been doing well since it fledged, or began flying, on November 5, 2003.
Data indicate the chick had been extensively moving around until March 17
or 18, including two trips to the Vermilion Cliffs site where captive
condors are released into the wild. The bird was detected in the area
between Yavapai Point and Yaki Point in the Grand Canyon on March 18, 19
and 20. Then biologists noted that a transmitter attached to the chick had
switched into a mortality mode, meaning the condor's transmitter stopped
moving, sometime Sunday evening, March 20. Although biologists hoped the
transmitter had simply fallen off, that hope began to fade when the
satellite-GPS transmitter indicated no movement over Monday, Tuesday, and
Wednesday of last week.
In cooperation with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, The Peregrine
Fund, and National Park Service an investigation and recovery effort was
started on Friday, March 25. Recovery efforts on Friday were delayed du=
e
to poor weather; however, biologists were able to recover the carcass on
Saturday. The carcass was discovered on a slope in the Supai laye=
r
(approximately 1,200 feet below the rim) below Yavapai Point. No immediate
cause of death was determined. The carcass will be shipped to th=
e
Pathology Lab at the San Diego Zoo in San Diego, California, where a
necropsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death.
"As the first wild fledged chick in Arizona, this bird represented =20=
a
significant step forward in the condor recovery program," stated Chad
Olson, Raptor Biologist for Grand Canyon National Park. He added=
,
"although not critical from a population standpoint over the long-term,
this bird was important symbolically to the condor reintroduction effort=
.
I have been personally involved with the study of this bird and am truly
saddened by its loss."
"This is a sad occasion for the California condor reintroduction project,
but the program will move forward and hopefully see the survival of many
future wild-hatched chicks," says Ron Sieg, supervisor of the Arizona Game
and Fish Department's Flagstaff regional office.
The two chicks that fledged in the wild in 2004 continue to feed, interact
with other condors and explore their natural areas.
California condors are the largest flying land bird in North America. They
can weigh up to 26 pounds and have a wingspan of up to 9 =BD feet. The
species has been listed as endangered since 1967. Condors are being bred in
captivity and are frequently released at the Vermilion Cliffs in Arizona.
The historic Arizona reintroduction is a joint project among The Peregrine
Fund, the Arizona Game and Fish Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Southern Utah's Coalition
of Resources and Economics, and numerous other partners.
Victoria M. Fox
USFWS Southwest Region
OFFICE OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Albuquerque, NM
Phone: 505-248-6455 FAX: 505-248-6915
Cellular: 505-235-3765
=20
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