Three andean condor chicks offer hope for species on brink of extinction in colombia

A conservation program in Colombia has achieved a significant milestone in the fight to save one of South America’s most iconic birds from local extinction. Three Andean condor chicks—named Rafiki, Wayra, and Ámbar—have successfully hatched at an artificial incubation facility near Bogotá since July 2024, offering new hope for a species teetering on the edge of disappearance in northern South America.

The breakthrough comes from the Jaime Duque Park Foundation, a Colombian nonprofit that has been working since 2015 to reverse the dramatic decline of these magnificent birds. While the Andean condor is classified as vulnerable globally with about 6,700 mature individuals remaining—mostly in Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina—the situation in Colombia and Ecuador is dire. Fewer than 150 birds survive in the wild across both countries, earning them a critically endangered designation. In neighboring Venezuela, the species has already vanished completely.

The conservation program addresses a key challenge in condor reproduction: these birds typically raise only one chick every 2-3 years, and inexperienced parents often accidentally damage their eggs. By carefully removing eggs and placing them in specialized incubators, researchers can provide the controlled environment needed for successful hatching while encouraging parent birds to lay replacement eggs. Two of the chicks, Rafiki and Wayra, are expected to be released this year near Cerrito, a high-altitude Colombian town that currently supports nearly half of the country’s remaining condor population. “They are the salvation of the species,” said Fernando Castro, the foundation’s director of biodiversity.