Four students from High Tech High (Tyler, Madalyn, Laura, and Daniel) are interning with the San Diego Zoo as Teen Reporters, sharing some of the fun experiences they’ve had at the Zoo and the Wild Animal Park.

Condors are one of the most endangered species on our earth. The main reasons they are endangered are from destruction of habitat, poaching, and lead poisoning. Poachers are killing these miraculous animals, and human beings are cutting down their habitats for their own benefits. Some hunters shoot with lead bullets due to the inexpensive prices, but the results of these inexpensive prices come with their own price: the increasing risk of California condor extinction. When some hunters kill game with a lead bullet, the carcass of the animal is often left behind for other animals such as the condor to feed off of. Condors eating the hunted carcass also consume the lead bullet left behind by the hunter. This lead bullet is very bad for the condor and causes lead poisoning, killing off the very few condors we have left in the wild.

In 1983, we were down to 30 condors in the wild. The Zoological society of San Diego decided to take action right away and started the first captive propagation program in attempt to conserve these beautiful animals. The conservation breeding program paid of and in 20 years the population of condors grew from 30 to 200 birds! Bird keepers and scientist came up with very different ways to conserve these condors. The eggs from the nest were taken and put into a incubator to hatch. The female condors were teen more encouraged to lay more eggs to replace the previous ones. Condor puppets were used to make the hand raised babies feel like they were being raised by their parents. They used taped sounds of condors to make it seem more realistic to the condors.

Reintroduction into the wild was a huge thing that took place that in 1992. But this doesn’t mean that condors will be safe forever now. We have to protect this animal and appreciate it’s habitat if we want this gracious bird to keep living. This is not easy at all because new development is always happening, sometimes destroying condor’s homes. The hard work of the conservation of these animals has paid off, but we still need to watch and protect these birds for the sake of their existence.

I believe that condors are an important part of California’s past and, hopefully, the future. I think that what the Wild Animal Park is doing to help save these birds is a flight in the right direction.

Tyler is a student at High Tech High in San Diego.

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