Releasing Rehabilitated Condors in Patagonia

Liquiñe is now part of the condor ecosystem in Patagonia!

We are excited because the Rewilding Chile's Wildlife team, on a monitoring routine, spotted a group of Andean condors at the confluence of the Baker and Nef rivers, and one of them was Liquiñe!

We can track Liquiñe's movements thanks to the satellite transmitters she carries with her. After being released eight months ago in Patagonia National Park, it is excellent news to see her living with other members of the same species and adapting to the natural environment.

This Rewilding action fills us with hope to continue working harder than ever to protect this emblematic bird, guardian of the ecosystem. THANK YOU for joining us in making the world a more beautiful place!

Our park ranger Rody Alvarez has been monitoring the movement of the two condors, Pumalín and Liquiñe, four months after their release, reporting that they have been increasing their range of movement and have integrated well with the rest of the condors. 

After these promising results, the work during the rest of the year will be mainly monitoring to continue gathering information on this critical species for the ecosystems until the next release next year. 

That said, WE THANK ALL THOSE WHO HAVE MADE THIS PROJECT POSSIBLE, and we bid farewell until next year when we hope to rerelease condors to fly free in the skies of Patagonia. 

After an extended rehabilitation period and two months of acclimatization in Patagonia National Park, Pumalin and Liquiñe were finally released! About 100 people participated in this important milestone, mainly residents of Cochrane, gateway community of the National Park, who witnessed the exact moment when the condors left the acclimatization cage to stretch their wings and finally fly into freedom. 

Thanks to the satellite transmitters installed on their wings, we will be able to follow their movements to gather information about their behavior patterns, movements and the way they interact with others. The release was accompanied by environmental education activities with schools in the communities surrounding the park. 

While Liquiñe took off immediately, Pumalín took a little longer to soar, but managed to do so anyway. This is absolutely normal in this type of procedure. Can you imagine what it must have felt like to stretch their wings and fly for the first time in the wild?

Giving the condors a second chance is also a second chance for us as humans to rethink our way of living, how we relate to all the communities of life on this planet.

This project was possible thanks to the collaboration with Fundación Meri, Proyecto Manku and the National Park Agency, among others. 

Links:

• Rewilding Chile website