Buenos Aires, December 1 (NA) – Over 90 Andean condors were observed simultaneously in the town of La Carrera, Tupungato department, Mendoza province, which constitutes the largest documented sighting in Argentina to date. According to the Argentine News Agency (NA), the record was obtained by a family that managed to film and photograph individuals of this species, declared a Provincial Natural Monument, while feeding on a dead cow, as they are scavenger birds. “The Andean condor plays an essential role in the high-altitude environments of the Andes. In addition, it adds to the discovery of a new nest in Tupungato Provincial Park at the end of October.” “The sighting of over 90 condors together is a striking image that confirms the vitality of the local population of this threatened species and highlights its fundamental role as a natural sanitary of the Andean ecosystem,” stated Adrián Gorrindo, head of the Wildlife Department. The Ministry of Energy and Environment emphasized the importance of continuing to promote sustained protection policies, institutional articulation, and environmental education to strengthen the conservation of this emblematic species of the Andes. Its scavenger function makes it a natural sanitary that helps eliminate remains of dead animals, reduce possible sources of infection, and prevent the spread of diseases. “Thanks to its strong beak, it opens the skin and hard tissues of dead animals, facilitating that later smaller scavenger birds or animals can eat,” said Ignacio Haudet, director of the Wildlife Department of the Biodiversity and Ecopark Directorate of the Ministry of Energy and Environment. In a context where this emblematic bird is categorized as “Vulnerable” globally and “Threatened” in Argentina, the government of Mendoza highlighted that the simultaneous presence of more than ninety individuals in the same place represents a significant indicator of the good state of the Andean environment. This reflects the availability of food, low human disturbance, and the coexistence of adult and juvenile specimens, aspects that strengthen the sustained presence of the species in that province. With this sighting, Mendoza surpassed the record of San Luis, which managed to capture 80 birds simultaneously during the Simultaneous Andean Condor Census in October.
