CONDOR NUMBERS GROW IN ARIZONA.Byline: Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. More condors are on the wing in Arizona after the latest release under a program to re-establish them in the wild. Eight birds were released Wednesday at Hurricane Cliffs north of the Grand Canyon Grand Canyon, great gorge of the Colorado River, one of the natural wonders of the world; c.1 mi (1.6 km) deep, from 4 to 18 mi (6.4–29 km) wide, and 217 mi (349 km) long, NW Ariz. , boosting the state's wild condor population to 22. California has about 20. ``We are thrilled with the success of the condor reintroduction program in the Southwest,'' said Jeff Humphrey of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who coordinates the recovery effort. ``The birds have a great survivorship rate survivorship rate proportion of the population that are still alive at successive annual ages. and are becoming savvy in the wild and have been embraced by the people of Arizona and Utah.'' The latest release site is about 60 miles west of Vermilion Cliffs The Vermilion Cliffs are the second "step" up in the five-step Grand Staircase of the Colorado Plateau. Reddish or vermilion-colored cliffs are found along U.S. Highway 89 and U.S. Highway 89A near Kanab, Utah (and near Navajo Bridge in Arizona). , where 14 condors remain from those released over two years. Most of the birds released Wednesday were raised at The Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey The World Center for Birds of Prey, located in Boise Idaho, is known through out the globe for its conservation and recovery efforts of several rare and endangered species. south of Boise, Idaho. Two were hatched at the Los Angeles Zoo The Los Angeles Zoo founded in 1966, is a large zoo located in Los Angeles, California, USA. The Zoo, located in Los Angeles' Griffith Park, is home to 1,200 animals from around the world. . Another was born at the San Diego Wild Animal Park The San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park is a zoo in the San Pasqual Valley area of San Diego, California. It is one of the largest tourist attractions in the city and Southern California. and is to be released at Vermilion Cliffs late this month. All have spent several weeks in a pen at Hurricane Cliffs becoming acclimated prior to release. Free, they nest in caves or on cliffs. Biologists supply carrion daily and will continue to do so until the newly released birds begin to fly widely and find their own food. It will be some time before these condors come together with birds in the east, since these young ones can't keep up with the others, some of which are 4 years old and fly 150 miles a day or farther on wings of up to 9-1/2 feet in length. Seven more are to be released at Big Sur, Calif., in January. There are now 149 California condors, including more than 40 in wild. The population had dropped to a low of 27 by 1987 and the birds had disappeared entirely in Arizona after ranging historically from Baja California to British Columbia. Since December 1996, 27 condors have been released in Arizona, including the latest set. Three were killed, another vanished and is presumed to have died, and one condor was returned to captivity after being too friendly with humans. |
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