The juvenile condor named “Traful” was finally released into its natural habitat yesterday, in the Nahuel Huapi National Park, after having been rescued with poisoning from Lake Traful, last April.
The release occurred as part of the Comprehensive Andean Condor Conservation Plan, after the rehabilitation of the juvenile male Andean condor in the Temaikén ecopark, in Escobar, province of Buenos Aires.
Yesterday the bird “returned to the wild, and was released from a high area in the Traful area, in the Nahuel Huapi national park,” reported the national organization, which highlighted that it is condor 236 released in the context of the plan. of conservation.
The juvenile male condor was rescued in April in a state of intoxication and yesterday was released into its natural habitat. Photo: Courtesy
“We invite the entire society to commit to the protection of the condor, an emblematic bird, a key species in the balance of the Andean ecosystem and a symbolic link with our South American cultural past,” they said from the Nahuel Huapi park.
The rescue of the condor had been carried out in April in the northern area of the park, in Lake Traful, together with a guide and a local veterinarian, who saw that after taking off from Provincial Route 65, the specimen fell into the lake. At that moment, they got into their kayaks to help him. Upon reaching the point where the condor was swimming, the Naval Prefecture and the Protected Area park ranger were present, managing to get it into one of the kayaks. The condor remained standing on the bow, with its wings spread.
National Parks personnel released the Andean condor. Photo: Courtesy
Once everyone arrived at the shore of the lake, he was moved to a safe place where, together with local veterinarians, first aid was performed and the necessary blood samples were obtained to evaluate his condition. The specimen had a severe poisoning from lead ingestion, which endangered his life. It is Scavenger birds feed on dead wild animals, which often have splinters or ammunition. that contaminate the meat, which enters the bloodstream when ingested. This is one of the main threats to the species.
After the first assistance, with the collaboration of Aerolíneas Argentinas and the support of the Environmental Control Brigade of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of the Nation, the condor was urgently transferred to the rescue and rehabilitation center in human isolation of the Temaikén biopark.
At his rehabilitation place, tests were performed again and two chelation treatments were added to the one he had received after his rescue in the national park. The veterinarians also performed a bone biopsy and his diet was temporarily reduced to generate a reaction that would help release the lead into the blood and be able to extract it through chelation. Likewise, their blood lead levels were periodically monitored. In this way, the technical team, for months, carried out a complex rehabilitation protocol that allowed the toxin to be eliminated from her body.