Fundación Parque Jaime Duque advances Andean condor conservation

The Fundación Parque Jaime Duque is advancing efforts to protect the critically endangered Andean condor in Colombia. Through its Andean Condor Conservation Program, the foundation has been working since 2012 on breeding, preparing, and monitoring the species.

Recent milestones include the preparation of Rafiki, a condor born in captivity, for release into the El Almorzadero moorland in Santander. Additionally, researchers have documented significant progress in the wild, including the monitoring of an active nest. Using drone technology, scientists confirmed the presence of a female chick, named Lulú, and have been studying parental feeding behaviors and the chick's development toward its first flight.

The conservation initiative has seen substantial investment, including 3.5 billion pesos between 2015 and 2019, and a recent partnership with the CAR involving over 428 million pesos to strengthen these efforts.