Recently, a new chick of the Andean condor, named Samay, was born at the Buenos Aires Ecopark.
This bird has a family history that began 15 years ago as a clear example of the importance of conservation.
The rescue story of Samay’s mother
Samay, whose name means ‘breath of life’, is the third child of Eluney Wenu, a female that was stolen from her nest in 2009 in the province of San Luis, when she was just a chick.
At that time, Eluney Wenu arrived at what was then the La Florida Flora and Fauna Reserve, now the La Florida Wildlife Conservation Center, without having learned to fly with her parents.
The female had a wound in the soft tissue of her right wing.
This injury caused some primary and secondary feathers to grow twisted outward, complicating her rehabilitation.
The female, whose name means “Gift from Heaven”, was later transferred to the Buenos Aires Zoo.
There, she was kept in isolation enclosures with other rescued specimens while professionals evaluated her behavior and awaited the growth of secondary feathers.
Finally, Eluney Wenu recovered and was transferred to the Pailemán Field Base, Río Negro.
There, she was placed with another male condor named Quimey in what is called a “Flying Cage,” where they both coexisted.
The presence of both specimens serves as an attraction for the young released.
This helps to strengthen the permanence of specimens in the release area.
However, after the release, it was observed that ‘Eluney Wenu’ did not fly well.
The old wound on her wing prevented the growth of several primary feathers, so she was transferred to the Buenos Aires Ecopark and entered into the breeding program.
With Samay, there are now three new hopes for the conservation of the Andean condor
Since then, ‘Eluney Wenu’ laid three eggs. The first two were males: Kausarichiq and Karut, who are already flying in Pailemán.
Now the female Samay was born, representing a new hope for the conservation of this species.
‘Samay’ was born almost entirely on her own, only assisted at the end, as her parents would do in nature. To feed her, puppets representing the male and female are used.
This technique prevents the chick from becoming accustomed to humans and allows her to develop as a condor born in the wild.
The goal is for Samay to be able to naturally thrive in her habitat.
If all goes well, Samay will join the flock of young condors with no flight experience to be released in 2026.
Her name, “breath of life,” sums up what she represents: a new hope for this emblematic species of the Andes.
The breeding and conservation program demonstrates that rescue and rehabilitation efforts can yield positive long-term results, contributing to the survival of the Andean condor in the region.
