WOCC Animal Care Specialist Travels to Colombia to Visit Andean Condor Release Site





Journey through the wilderness of

El Consuelo, led by Andrew Schumann.



In December 2011 White Oak Conservation Center animal care specialist Andrew Schumann traveled to Colombia, South America to visit the Andean Condor release site in Belen. This is the spot in the Colombian Andes where the two condors from White Oak were released earlier in 2010. The condor release and Andrew’s trip were supported in part by a grant from the Phoenix Zoo Conservation Fund. Andrew accompanied Dr. Alan Lieberman and Dr. James Sheppard from San Diego Zoo Global, who were there to train the Andean condor guards on new methods of radio telemetry they had designed in their lab in San Diego. Their plan was to capture one of the released birds and place radio transmitters on them for monitoring while training the condor guards in the system’s usage. Andrew’s blog describes his Colombian experiences and the connections he made for White Oak Conservation Center with the condor recovery team.

11/30: A long day of travel. I tried to hail a cab at the airport after I landed and it was difficult. There were many “taxis” trying to give me rides. Found a good one and hopped in. I made it to Hotel Ibis and I was taken back by the size of the buildings around me. I can’t wait to see how it looks in the daytime. I was completely out of breath after the flight of stairs to the hotel. I guess it didn’t matter that I was in shape, the air was just too thin!





View from hotel room in Bogota, Colombia



 12/1: Woke up and hopped straight to the window- wow! A city built amongst thickly vegetated mountains? It was beautiful. Alan Lieberman had a meeting with the Ministry of Environment and so I waited for him to pick me up afterwards at the hotel. I birdwatched outside and saw a bunch of Eared Dove, Rufous Collared Sparrows, Great Thrush, and Black Vultures. I was jumping out of my skin and I couldn’t wait to see Andean Condors, even though I knew it may not happen. I looked in the lobby and saw two guys and one was pointing at me (I guess they knew it was me because I had binoculars around my neck). It was Alan Lieberman and Dr. James Sheppard. Alan was joking around and apologizing for taking so long. I was really excited to finally meet both of them. He went over the itinerary with me and said that they didn’t catch the two female condors that I helped care for at White Oak Conservation Center. He said that it had been raining bad and that the birds weren’t flying much. I was incredibly disappointed; I really wanted to see what they looked like now. Were they bigger? Would their behavior be different? However, I was so excited to be in Colombia that I didn’t mind much. Outside I met Miguel and Paco. These two guys worked for Fundacion Neotropical- the NGO responsible for the releases and subsequent monitoring of Condors in Boyaca. They released the birds held at White Oak Conservation Center. They were incredibly friendly, funny, and passionate about the Andean Condor Program. We headed off to hail a cab to get to Miguels truck outside the city. This is the vehicle we were taking to Tunja, the capital of the department of Boyaca. The entire taxi ride I was asking Alan all about the program. After hearing the details of the program, I was glad White Oak Conservation Center was participating in the Andean Condor Recovery program in Colombia. Despite facing many challenges, the program has continued for over 20 years! We eventually got to the truck and headed out to Tunja. It was about a 3 hour drive, and the roads were rough.



Alan Lieberman presenting the Andean Condor
Program in Tunja.



 12/2: Woke up and had breakfast at the hotel in Tunja. We met Juan Carlos and Fausto there. Juan Carlos worked for Fundacion Neotropical as well, and Fausto was a Ph.D. student in Boyaca to be studying the released Andean Condors. Fausto and I talked about Cracids afterwards and he certainly knew the conservation issues regarding these birds in his country. We hopped in a cab and went to the University of Tunja, where Alan presented on the Andean Condor Recovery Program and Dr. Sheppard presented on telemetry. This is where I learned of the extent of ground-breaking work accomplished by Dr. Sheppard, especially with California Condors. Fausto may be doing the same type of telemetry work as Dr. Sheppard but with the Andean Condors. There were a number of students and participants of the Recovery at the presentations. I met a number of people involved in the program like Andres, Ulga, Carolina, and many more. The Colombian biologists, veterinarians, and conservationists were exceptionally passionate about the program. The presentation was a great idea- it got people interested in the program.

Training participants, including Andrew
Schumann (fourth from right)

Afterwards, all participants in the recovery program headed to Belen. It was there that we all met in an auditorium to go over the telemetry equipment, and in detail the telemetry software. Again, it was amazing to see everyone strictly concentrating to learn this software to help conserve a species. I felt proud to be one of the many participants of the program.



12/3: The team headed to the town square in Belen. Dr. Sheppard had the solar-powered GPS transmitter with him to charge in the sun. I gave out White Oak Conservation Center hats and a few tee shirts to the crew. They really loved them, and every single person wore the hats for the rest of the day. It took some time to try to explain in Spanish what White Oak Conservation Center does, but they really seemed to like our mission and what we do. After the transmitter found satellites and was fully charged, we got a taxi and went up into the mountain next to Belen to see if it would take appropriate readings. This was one of the highlights of my trip.

Working in the field while wearing hats
from White Oak Conservation Center

I saw so much wildlife and the unique ecosystem found above treeline, called Paramo, was incredible. We stopped on the top of the mountain and walked around. I was really excited to potentially catch a glimpse of a condor, but it was raining and I knew that it probably wouldn’t happen. The release site was only a few mountains away. We walked around and the guys taught me about the vegetation and wildlife. I saw some great birds, but no condors! I was happy in knowing they were out there somewhere. I was profoundly content and I really did not want to leave! Eventually we headed back to the taxi and descended back to Belen to check our readings. Unfortunately the transmitter wasn’t working. Dr. Sheppard was very disappointed, as was the Recovery Team. But they now knew how to use the telemetry, and after receiving a new transmitter they will be able to attach it to an Andean Condor and receive the subsequent data. This data will help the Recovery Team monitor the reintroduced Condors and therefore help conserve the species in Colombia.






Watching a Blue-winged Teal in the Paramo



 We headed back to Bogota that evening. I felt very fortunate to be in Colombia, to meet the Andean Condor Recovery Team, and to be involved in Andean Condor in-situ conservation. I learned a great deal on this trip. It was great to meet Alan Lieberman. He is a huge figure in the conservation field, and he showed me how to inspire people to conserve their wildlife and how to be a conservationist of action. Dr. Sheppard taught me the latest in wildlife telemetry. The Recovery Team exhibited great hospitality towards me, and taught me about their country and the Andean Condors that lie within. I want to thank all mentioned above, and of course White Oak Conservation Center. I was fortunate in representing White Oak in Colombia. I was very fortunate that I could introduce the work we do at White Oak Conservation Center to those conserving wildlife like Andean Condors in Colombia.