Endangered: On the verge of extinction
I am definitely an endangered species; I have been for a while now and I will continue to be unless something is done. I became an endangered species in 1973. Since 2000, declines in my population have continued in all the Andes, especially in Ecuador, Venezuela, and Peru. Today, my population is of 10,000 individuals in total, out of which 6,700 are mature individuals.
The main cause for my endangerment is hunting. Hunters in my habitat poison animals to kill them, and later I feed on those carcasses and die because of the venom. Also, I am hunted for my skin because it sells at very high prices. Natives believe my bones alleviate rheumatism and placing my feathers under blankets wards off nightmares. They also believe that eating my stomach cures breast cancer and roasting and consuming my eyes improves eyesight. Apart from that, I am sometimes shot by farmers because they believe I kill their livestock, which I don’t. I am used in festivals such as the yaguar fiesta as well, where I am tied to a bull’s back and forced to fight for my life with it.
Besides, I am adapted for exceptionally low mortality and reproductive output, which makes me extremely vulnerable. I reproduce only once every one or two years and produce a single offspring, so I am killed faster than I am replaced.
Like all vultures, I play an essential role in the environment. By eating carrion, I clean up the environment from corpses and carcasses. Because of this, my loss has a profound ecological consequence. Without me to dispose of dead animals, the risk of disease increases, along with the number of wild dogs, which pose a risk to human health and safety in the area.
Not only would my loss have an ecological impact, but it would also affect many cultures in South America. I am greatly symbolic in Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, and Colombia, where I am still part of national emblems. I represents majesty, power, and, above everything, liberty. I am lost, so would be a very important part of South American culture.
Incredible conservation efforts have been taking place to allow the comeback of my species. After I was declared an endangered species in 1973, environmental agencies took up these efforts to gradually increase our number. In captivity, we are fed, taken care of, and stimulated to mate. In order to do this, our eggs are taken away so we will lay another one, which we are allowed to raise. Later, we are released into the wild and sometimes we are tracked to verify if we are still alive.
Although our population is still very low and we could possibly go extinct, thankfully we have started to reappear over the last years.
For more information about conservation methods and organizations, click here.
The main cause for my endangerment is hunting. Hunters in my habitat poison animals to kill them, and later I feed on those carcasses and die because of the venom. Also, I am hunted for my skin because it sells at very high prices. Natives believe my bones alleviate rheumatism and placing my feathers under blankets wards off nightmares. They also believe that eating my stomach cures breast cancer and roasting and consuming my eyes improves eyesight. Apart from that, I am sometimes shot by farmers because they believe I kill their livestock, which I don’t. I am used in festivals such as the yaguar fiesta as well, where I am tied to a bull’s back and forced to fight for my life with it.
Besides, I am adapted for exceptionally low mortality and reproductive output, which makes me extremely vulnerable. I reproduce only once every one or two years and produce a single offspring, so I am killed faster than I am replaced.
Like all vultures, I play an essential role in the environment. By eating carrion, I clean up the environment from corpses and carcasses. Because of this, my loss has a profound ecological consequence. Without me to dispose of dead animals, the risk of disease increases, along with the number of wild dogs, which pose a risk to human health and safety in the area.
Not only would my loss have an ecological impact, but it would also affect many cultures in South America. I am greatly symbolic in Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, and Colombia, where I am still part of national emblems. I represents majesty, power, and, above everything, liberty. I am lost, so would be a very important part of South American culture.
Incredible conservation efforts have been taking place to allow the comeback of my species. After I was declared an endangered species in 1973, environmental agencies took up these efforts to gradually increase our number. In captivity, we are fed, taken care of, and stimulated to mate. In order to do this, our eggs are taken away so we will lay another one, which we are allowed to raise. Later, we are released into the wild and sometimes we are tracked to verify if we are still alive.
Although our population is still very low and we could possibly go extinct, thankfully we have started to reappear over the last years.
For more information about conservation methods and organizations, click here.
For information about other endangered species, click here.