Located 64 km from Santiago: this is the life of the Andean condor in the largest landfill in Chile

Located 64 km north of Santiago, the largest landfill in Chile, Loma Los Colorados is home to the largest known concentration of Andean condors ( gryphus vulture ) in a place.

This is what a new study published in the Journal of Raptor Research , which highlights the main conclusions of 17 years of observation and study in this place.

In the article titled “Use of landfills by Andean condors in central Chile” Eduardo Pavez, doctor of forestry, agricultural and veterinary sciences, as well as director of BioAmerica Consultants , and his co-authors explain how the number of condors in the landfill is directly related to the presence of available food in the surrounding landscape, i.e. cattle and rabbit carcasses.

One of the main conclusions of the scientific work is that they also found that The number of condors at the site fluctuates with movements of grazing livestock throughout the region. . At the same time, the age and sex ratios of condors at the dump suggest that those at the lower end of the social scale (juveniles and females) visit the site more frequently than adult males.

The presence of condors in this landfill was starting to be very minor in the surrounding area. “We noticed this around the year 2000, where they were seen flying over the construction front and coexisting remotely with the operation. Around 2002, we started observing them coming down and being near stopped machines or silos. At the end of 2003, we noticed that they were starting to exploit the embankment. This period coincides with a food shortage in the high mountains, due to the reduction in extensive livestock farming and drought. says María Paz Fuenzalida, community relations manager of KDM Companies . This company is responsible for the Loma Los Colorados landfill, north of the metropolitan area.

In 2005, following an incident involving poisoned condors, they had to take an active role in condor protection. According to Fuenzalida, “This problem of access to food that the birds face, the condors owe it to the big city in search of food”, find a food source in the foothills and in the dumps.

Andean condors are among the largest birds in the world. As scavengers, they rely on decaying animal matter, called carrion for their livelihood. In central Chile, human breeding practices strongly influence the distribution of carrion available to Andean condors.

Landfills are predictable, and predictable food sources often alter wildlife movement patterns. Thus the study shows the correlation that most of these scavengers avoid working hard to find food if it is not necessary.

Although the presence of landfills may contribute to the survival of condors by providing them with a reliable source of food, They can also harm condors on an individual and population level. During the study, The team observed four poisonings affecting 14 condors, 8 of which died.

The majority of those affected were men. According to the report, this could likely happen because adult males dominate other condors when it comes to desirable foods. When the objects chosen are toxic, men experience the worst. These poisonings were due to organophosphate poisoning, but the exact sources have never been revealed.

Especiallythe number of condors in Loma Los Colorados decreased between 2013 and 2016, which correlated with widespread livestock mortality due to drought and rabbit mortality due to myxomatosis – an infectious disease transmitted by hares. which increased the availability of food sources (carcasses) in the regional landscape.

After 2019, both mortality events decreased and the number of condors at the site increased . Pavez said this trend “showed to what extent the presence of condors in landfills is an indicator, a very sensitive barometer, of what is happening with the food supply on a broad geographic scale.

More juveniles and females feed there than adult males, probably because it is more difficult for young birds and subordinate individuals to successfully feed. and landfills provide easier prey for those who might be intimidated by adult males elsewhere.

How it’s good For the ecosystem where condors come looking for carrion in landfills? According to Funezalida, The efficiency of landfill operation does not and should not depend on the participation of scavenging animals. “The landfill operation eliminates organic waste by covering it with soil permanently, as quickly as possible, but it may happen that before being covered, it is exposed to the consumption of scavenging animals, particularly birds. and in this case condors. But in landfills, the disposal of waste due to the consumption of scavengers is not encouraged, and even more so, it is avoided,” he comments.

Pavez adds that “until recently, companies that ran landfills were accused of poisoning and considered a threat to condors . Today, studies like ours have been possible thanks to funding from some of these companies, who now want to be part of the solution to the conservation problems of the Andean condor.

Andean condors, the document adds, like all scavenger birds, They are important agents in the recycling of organic matter throughout the landscape. They remove rotten meat from the ground, for free, and they do it efficiently. Their continued existence in our skies is a laudable priority, not only in central Chile, but throughout the world.

Based on the study carried out, the company took measures that helped reduce the risks that the condor present in the landfill may face. Among them, the management of the limited working front stands out, and thus prevents condors from feeding there; presence of a worker who scares away the condors from the work front; and during periods of high condor presence – between June and December – an alternative diet is put in place for the specimens. “For this, a space was demarcated away from the work front so that the condors could feed on goats, fitted out and monitored by a company advisor,” specifies the KDM spokesperson.