Landfills saving Andean Condors

The largest landfill in Chile, Lomo Las Colorados is home to the largest group of Andean Condors (vultur gryphus) at one singular site. This information comes from a recently published paper in Journal of Raptor Research from their research spanning 17 years on this particular site.

The paper by author Eduardo Pavez of Bioamerica Consultores and Union de Ornitologos de Chile and his co-authors explain how the number of Condors at the landfill are directly linked to the availability of food in the neighbouring landscapes; primarily carcasses of cattle and rabbits. They also found that the age and sex ratios of Condors using the landfill suggest those at the bottom of the pecking-order rely upon the site more with more juveniles and females visiting as opposed to the less frequent adult males.

Although landfills have helped in the survival of the species by offering a stable food source, they can also cause harm. The study team noted that they had observed four poisonings affecting 14 individuals, 8 of which resulted in deaths. Most of these deaths were adult males as they would be the dominant individuals taking the most food.

Pavez and his co-authors stated: “until recently, companies that managed landfills were blamed for the poisoning events and were considered a threat to condors. Today, studies like ours have been possible thanks to the financing of some of these companies which now want to be part of the solution to the conservation problems of the Andean Condor.”