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Rare condors released in Arizona
Bird-lovers seek to save endangered species
December 12, 1996
Web posted at: 11:00 p.m. ESTVERMILLION CLIFFS, Arizona (CNN) -- Six young California condors soared into the Arizona sky Thursday, more than 70 years after the last time the bird was spotted in the region.
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The condors, with a wing span of 9 1/2 feet, are the largest and rarest bird in North America. They also are among the most endangered birds in the world.
The California condors had flown over Arizona's majestic Vermillion Cliffs for thousands of years, feeding on carcasses of saber-toothed tigers and woolly mammoths.
But humans pushed the giant birds toward the brink of extinction. They shot, poached and poisoned California condors until only nine birds remained by 1985, all in captivity. None of the birds had been seen in their former Grand Canyon stomping grounds since 1924.
The birds released Thursday spent six weeks getting used to their new surroundings, testing their wings in a spacious pen at the edge of the towering cliffs.
Five were hatched and reared last summer at the Los Angeles Zoo, and the sixth came from the World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho. Government officials, biologists, bird-watchers and wildlife enthusiasts crowded around to catch a glimpse of the birds when they were released.
"They're just learning to use their wings and how to fly at this point, so they'll probably stay pretty close to the cliffs the first few weeks as they take their initial flights," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman Jeff Humphrey said.
Other species in trouble
The release of the condors is part of a larger project in which the government hopes to establish two wild populations of 150 birds each. Seventeen condors already have been released into the wild in California. More than 100 others are in captivity.
"If all goes well along this plan, I think we will be well on the way to saving this bird," said Mike Wallace, director of the condor recovery team.
However, other endangered species are not faring so well, according to a new environmental study by the Environmental Defense Fund. More than 1,000 species remain on the endangered list, and the government is considering adding 425 plants and animals to the list.
Private-landowner incentives urged
The study found that fewer than one in 10 endangered species are making a comeback. Among those animals whose numbers are on the upswing are sea otters.
But fully one-third of all endangered plants and animals, including the California clapper rail, continue to edge toward extinction, the Defense Fund study found.
The report also noted that species living on private land face a tougher future than those living on public land. The environmentalists suggest that private landowners would be more inclined to protect wildlife if there were fewer government restrictions and more incentives to get involved.
"The most urgent need is for incentives for private landowners to restore and maintain habitat that endangered species require to survive," said Defense Fund spokesman Michael Bean.
David Klinger with the Fish and Wildlife Service agreed, but emphasized that if such incentives are offered, they need to be in done in such a way "that's not punitive but that encourages private landowners to do more."
Correspondents Sharon Collins and Don Knapp contributed to this report.
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