I had no problems whatsoever hyping up the California Condor in this, they're massively impressive animals! To really put the "200 miles in a single day" in context, if that rate was somehow consistent they'd fly the width of the US in 14 days and circle the globe in 125 days.
PLEASE remember folks that not all zoos and aquariums are bad. Many used to have poor conditions, but especially in first world countries they are so so important to wildlife and their care
Absolutely my personal view on the matter. I believe zoos have a massive duty of care to animals (and any places that mistreat them or have tiny enclosures should be shut down) but there's no denying that modern zoos have a huge role to play in conservation. Breeding programs need a proper environment and trained staff to work, for the ones related to our Desertas expeditions that I mentioned the snails are kept in perfectly maintained conditions to replicate their natural environment, and wouldn't be successful if it wasn't for that extra care. They also need revenue from somewhere to pay for all of this, and there's also definitely an argument to be made regarding their role in education and encouraging an interest in nature. Things are rarely as simple as being wholly right or wrong, there's a whole lot of nuance and grey areas in this world! - Tom
@@MossyEarth Thank you, this is also my opinion on the subject. As a zookeeper I sometimes get scared by all the people saying that we threat animals bad. The zoo I work at even protects a huge area of mangrove forests in Belize and has released a small herd of Preswalski horses. Those are justt two examples but zoos are doing so much good work at conservation. Modern zoos with big modern enclosures are awesome. The smaller zoos that keep animals in small crammed enclosures are not so great. and even modern zoos aren't perfect, there is always something to change or improve. Luckly most of them are willing tot do that
I think a lot of people assume zoos operate like Sea World for pure. However, many zoos do a lot of research, education, rehabilitation, and conservation. All the zoos I have been to do a lot for wild animals.
@@multidroid111 If only we funded more conservation instead of giving yet more undeserved tax theft-- I mean ""breaks"" to ultra-rich bankster scum stealing money from 99%...
Hmm I disagree with this. There are lots of issues with zoos imo but yea they arguably played a role in keeping a few animals from going extinct. According to a study they saved apparently up to 48 species. According to the AZA, only 3% of a zoo's entire budget goes to conservation efforts, of which many fail. And predators are hard to introduce back to the wild, about half of them die when released back into the wild. I think it would be a huge step forward if zoos were only allowed to keep species that are proven to be threatened (as of rn roughly 70% of animals in European zoos are not threatened), if they were only allowed to keep animals from their continent, not exotic ones and if they were forced to operate non-profit. But even then enclosures wouldn't be close to match their natural habitate and conservation would still primarily happen locally
While I was hiking out of the Grand Canyon with my cousin back in 2009 we were startled by a condor shooting vertically out of a tree, it was like seeing a legendary bird Pokemon, at that time there were very few remaining in the wild,, I'll never forget it.
Haha a legendary Pokémon is a damn good comparison! I can only imagine if you set a Condor on fire you'd basically have Moltres. For the record, I STRONGLY discourage setting a Condor on fire. - Tom
Don't EVER apologize for including that puppet clip! I love it! These are such amazing birds and I'm glad they're recovering. I hope they continue to expand
I honestly couldn't love it more, it's ridiculous yet ingenious at the same time! I think we all have our fingers crossed for the California Condor, there's lots yet to do but it certainly looks like they're in good hands! - Tom
I’m always just shocked how low the numbers get, 60 is just so insane… my family has a long history of defending and repairing different environmental zones, and it always just shocks me how nobody else ever seemed to care…
As I briefly mentioned in the video, education is perhaps the most important aspect of rewilding. My interest in wildlife was sparked and nurtured by my family too, we just need more people to open their eyes to how amazing the natural world is! - Tom
Most people have many more issues than that. Try to think of the environment when you don't know whether or not you can still afford your rent next month
Fun Fact - The California Condor has been around since the Pleistocene. Before they were feasting on elk and moose, they fed on the carcasses of woolly mammoths and ground sloths. That's why they're so dang big - they're actually prehistoric megafauna that managed to survive the end of the last Ice Age.
So happy to see information spreading on the condors. As someone who is actively raising them at a zoo, it literally makes me cry. Thank you for this video!
In an online world full of bad news or useless entertainment, its always nice to watch the amazing conservation work being done across the world. Thanks 🙏
I've actually heard of a few teachers showing our videos in biology classes, which is mind blowing to me and a massive honour! Glad you enjoyed this Lee! - Tom
Haha thanks, I don't know about BBC material but I'll try and close that gap! This was a really amazing story to have the privilege to cover, no doubt there's a long way to go but the participating zoos are really accomplishing something amazing here! - Tom
Most people are so unaware of the massive loss of biodiversity we are witnessing. Spreading this type of information is so important. Keep the great job!!!
A massive kudos to the entire team at Mossy Earth. You are doing a terrific job. I'm delighted you're utilizing UA-cam to spread awareness of your rewilding projects. Discovering your content has affirmed my decision to become a conservation biologist.
A native tribe near me just started Condor program and they have been working for this for decades. It's so wonderful to live near such a stewardship stewardship project in the works and I hope they are successful! I think they had about five young condors. I hope to see one of their descendants roaming free!
I need me one of those hand puppets, chicks are too cute. I'll never forget seeing the Andean Condor, flying high along a moutain top in Chile... i was in the valley below and even from that far away it was absolutely HUGE.
I think Condor chicks perfectly fit the description of "so ugly it's cute". Must've been amazing to see an Andean Condor, I'd love to see one in the wild someday! - Tom
Well thought commentary. Hopefully California condors will come back as strong as possible to sustainable levels in the future and it’s good for our ecosystem. 👏 🐦 ❤️ 🌎
Thank you Christopher! California Condors certainly have the backing behind them so they won't be disappearing anytime soon at least, but there's definitely a long way to go (especially culturally regarding lead poisoning) before the wild population is self-sustaining. Hopefully that'll change in the future! - Tom
I did a 2nd grade report on the California condor years ago and I remember noting how few there were left. I've maintained a fascination with them even decades later. Rooting for their survival. Thanks for the informative video!
Vultures are so cool. Yea yea, important to the eco system and even for humans especially important in killing diseases before they can spread, that's all great and true. But just look at them. Wingspans for which the word "imposing" is an understatement! And their heads and feathers look metal as hell. Underappreciated as they might be, I hope their luck turns around - for the condor and every other vulture. This video certainly will help that effort, thanks Mossy Earth!
Vultures are fantastic creatures, and amazingly well adapted for their way of life! California Condors in particular really cut quite an impressive figure, it would have been a massive tragedy for them to be gone from the skies for good. Hopefully this'll inform some people who weren't previously aware of the damage lead ammunition does to wildlife, especially scavengers. Thank you for your support, I'm glad you enjoyed the video! - Tom
I would recommend taking a look at the efforts of Pinnacles National Park and Oakland Zoo. They partner together to monitor lead levels in wild CA condors and Oakland Zoo will take those that are sick and remove lead ammo (as needed) and rerelease them into the wild once they have recovered.
Another great zoo is the Los Angeles Zoo. They are currently caring for the oldest female #171 Traveler for lead poisoning. She had surgery to remove the remaining lead fragments from her digestive tract. As of a 7/13/22 update, her crop is out of stasis and she is now passing food normally. Huge thanks to Pinnacles National Park, Oakland Zoo, LA Zoo & LightHawk who flew her from Oakland Zoo to LA Zoo.
Kudos to Michael, such a great falconer and conservationist!! Worth to mention the Non-Lead Partnership and how meaningful could be this initiative in the near future.
I really do think your channel is important I didn’t know any of these things before you showed up, Kay I knew one, but anyone that puts their time here on earth into making the most vulnerable of us feel like their life matters is a hero to me your kindness has not gone unnoticed your an owesome human being.
Thank you, that means a lot to hear! I know what it's like to go through some really rough times, and I sincerely hope that highlighting some of these positive stories is helping people out in a world that seems to be all bad news all the time. There's plenty of great people doing amazing work out there, just unfortunately very few are properly celebrated! - Tom
I really love these birds and there's even rumors that a few have finally been spotted in my area! I get why people have the instinct of disliking zoos but honestly the well-run ones are pretty fantastic in general and the conservation work and the outreach/education they do is invaluable. I saw on your website that you have a project going regarding sea otters in California near Monterey - have you been working with (or considered working with) the Monterey Bay Aquarium in this? I know they have some fantastic programs w/their otter surrogacy/release program and conservation efforts in Elkhorn Slough
I kid you not, while I read that I was listening to Monterey Bay Aquarium's '2 hours of Squid Lofi' video, I find I work really well to their videos in particular! I don't believe we have worked with them on this project. I looked up the project file just now and our local partners on it are listed as Elkhorn Slough National Research Reserve (ESNERR) and Defenders of Wildlife. Whether or not either have correspondence with the aquarium is unknown to me, but given that Elkhorn Slough is part of Monterey Bay I'd assume they do. I hope this helped! - Tom
@@MossyEarth I don't think they're directly associated but I've definitely heard of ESNERRs conservation work :) Mostly just thought of MBA as they are really a top notch aquarium both in terms of animal care and conservation and also just absolutely a great visit for guests. really looking forward to seeing updates on this project in general!
Absolutely, it was perhaps the biggest challenge in the breeding program. Slower reproducing species are always at a greater risk of population collapse, and unfortunately so many of the largest and most impressive animals all reproduce pretty slowly. In this case though they at least managed to find a solution! - Tom
Thank you Felix, glad to hear you enjoyed the video! We're really happy with how this channel is growing, and that's all thanks to the support of people like you! - Tom
Lovely content! So glad I found your channel. I'm a wildlife technician here in the U.S and have been super fascinated by condors. I even took a camping trip with a friend of mine to go see them at Vermillion Cliffs in Arizona (vid of that is on my channel, small plug lmao).
I can't explain how happy your videos make me feel. I am glad that earth has still some humans left who care for mother nature and it's creation. It's truly feel divine to do such noble work. I am from India and due to rapid population explosion we have lost too much of biodiversity and most of population is fighting for their survival so they really don't have environmental issues in their mind but i really hope that my gov. start educating new generation about nature & conservation effects and also show your documentary . It will really help to build a new generation of conscious human beings. Thanks for all your efforts . Regards from Himalayas India.
Thank you Surya, your kind words mean a lot! As you mentioned, people will always be more concerned about affording their next meal rather than the environment until they escape that situation, but from what I've read recently India is really coming around to the environmental side of things. There are some equally impressive success stories beginning to emerge from there, and I'm sure that trend will continue! - Tom
Those pics are too cute! Would be great if you guys could post a pic with short summary of story on insta so people can share this story with colleagues, friends and fam :) I made a printscreen to show my colleagues tomorrow! These condor babies raised by hand puppet deserve to go viral!
Just had one come clean up my backyard of a dead opossum!,,, And I was GRATEFUL to see em, because I wasn't cleaning it up!👎🏼😁😝 Such a beautiful but on guard Bird, he saw me peek through the window & took off. Thank goodness he came back to finished it OFF.
One less thing to deal with! They'll do the same for countless places where an animal would go untouched by humans too, the importance of scavengers really can't be understated! - Tom
seen what i thought were california condors flying low overhead numerous times and was always amazed. i still will regularly pull my bike/van over just to watch them, that's how amazing it is seeing them flying above you. found out those were turkey vultures and those are actually four feet shorter in wing length....so in a couple months i'm taking a trip to actually get to see, fingers crossed, the largest wing span animal on earth. so stoked!!
Thanks so much for this video! I am always sooo excited and feel like I’m in for a treat when I see you guys posted a new video. :) This one was of great quality again! Vultures are such intriguing creatures and these concepts of increasing the amounts of birds, experimenting with raising 2 chicks and asexual production are so cool and mind boggling! Thanks for letting us know :)
Around 1990, there were plans to reintroduce California Condors into the Columbia Gorge (The Columbia River is the border between Oregon and Washington State.) where they used to thrive in the 19th century. The Gorge is very windy. So the multinational corporations built wind farms with vast numbers of wind turbines, lethal to birds. So the plan to reintroduce the magnificent condor was abandoned. (The turbines did succeed in exterminating the raptor population, including all the formerly numerous eagles and hawks where I myself live. I know what I am talking about.)
That sucks to hear, some renewable energy sources really aren't as green as they're claimed to be. There's a similar story in our wetlands project, where part of the Danube was diverted to a hydroelectric dam and devastated the biodiversity of the area it used to run through. Complicated topic as they're definitely better for the world in general than fossil fuels, but both have their drawbacks for nature, especially when implemented improperly. - Tom
@@MossyEarth There's some recent work in IIRC Norway that shows painting certain patterns on the vanes can make them more visible to birds and significantly reduce collisions.
@@MossyEarth Renewable energy, intended to solve the problem of CO2 emissions, only create NEW problems that assault Mother Earth in NEW ways. When are people going to realize THERE AIN'T NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH? Renewable energy is a toxic band-aid on a hemorrhaging wound. We must admit that the only real solution is to cut consumption. If we went back to the level of consumption of, say, 1962, we could live well and make a big difference. But we are flooded with distracting yap about pie-in-the-sky "solutions" such as wind-and-solar. It's an evasion, a refusal to confront the real problem. It's irresponsible, and childish. And don't get me started on "environmentalists" who increase the burden on Mother Earth by giving birth, adding yet another consumer to the planet. For gawd's sake, adopt a child in need. There are so many children in need. Poor little kids. To insist that you MUST have a child with your own DNA is just another form of consumerism. My father was born in 1899 when the Colorado River still flowed into the Sea of Cortez, when the Amazon was intact, when the oceans were full of fish. If, with our current technology, we could go back to the population of 2 billion that existed in 1899, the human race would be living in paradise. There would be no more moronic talk about colonizing Mars. (By the way, if I win the lottery, I'm gonna give the money to Mossy Earth.)
I love these birds so much- it's a goal of mine to see one flying in the wild someday! it's fantastic that their population has rebounded this well, and I hope for more improvement in the future!
It would be a shame that such a great bird as the California Condor would disappear. Thanks people. I think we need to expand their habitats and severely punish illegal hunting. Like from Kazakhstan.
Here’s a suggestion I would prefer for future breeding plans. The zoos participating in the condor program could expand the capacity of their off-site breeding facilities for more chicks to be raised and encourage other zoological facilities under the AZA to participate in the breeding and release programs.
I see turkey vultures and bald eagles all the time. I thought those birds were huge but they’re not nearly as big as the condor. I’d totally like to see a one in person. Out in the wild. I hope they make a complete comeback in the future.
Human population needs to be in balance with jobs, resources, nature and the environment. Having a bigger population in any country than the country can support makes no sense. Access to food, water, shelter, energy and jobs should guide population levels. The worlds population is still expected to add another billion people to feed, clothe and produce pollution. Humans are crowding out all other species of plants and animals. Education and birth control are key to reducing poverty and hunger. Having a child that you can not provide for yourself is cruel and irresponsible. We need solutions not just sympathy. Endless population growth is not sustainable on a finite planet. Every country needs to "TRY" to be more self sufficient. When there are not enough resources to sustain a population something has to give. Countries need to focus on quality of life for their citizens and not just quantity of life for cheap labor.
Been impressed with things like the recovery of the Asiatic lion which has steadily increased in numbers as the state it is remaining in has expanded habitat and relocated population.
Asiatic Lions are noted down as a potential video, but unfortunately I think there's a lack of usable stock footage on them. The availability of footage is the biggest limiter on what we cover alongside the time they take to make, there are so many amazing recovery stories out there but more often than not all the footage is copyrighted, and we can't justify the expense of travelling to film a non-project related video... I'll keep an eye out to see if the footage situation improves though! - Tom
@G M Wow that is good news for the Asiatic Lion, hopefully the Tamaraws get more attentions too they're decreasing only at 500 individuals are left they're endemic to the Philippines in one island out of the 7,641 islands that we have, it is crazy how fast they're decreasing just months ago there is 2 guys who are poachers that killed 1 and a few years ago there are a lot of killed Tamaraws seen and there alibay was because of the pandemic, it is very sad if they were to go extinct because I think they're the only species of there species.
Another great video Tom! And another great example of a species that is seeing a cultural transformation through a changing narrative. Glad we’re helping to raise the condor’s profile and contribute to rewriting its story.
Thank you Tim! There are plenty more of these stories out there that all deserve a platform of their own, hopefully we can continue to do so for a long time! - Tom
Nearly everywhere has recognised that lead ammunition is terrible for ecosystems, but unfortunately many countries are really dragging their heels on banning it outright. There's lots of pressure from environmental organisations and lots of counter pressure from gun organisations, but it at least seems to be generally swaying against using lead now. Change will be gradual, but hopefully inevitable in the coming years! - Tom
Unlike sinkers for fishing no other metal is as effective as lead for a bullet, the mass of lead gives it the power to punch through materials that lighter metals cannot so the choice is obvious. It'd be like if you were being run at by someone with a knife and you tried to take down someone with a bb gun.
That's actually an idea we've had archived for a while, but I'm not sure if it quite fits into our niche that we've defined for ourselves. Possibly in the future, but we're not sure yet! - Tom
That would be so interesting to hear about! Or just a video about how these zoos create 86 out of 27 when it comes to mixing with genes with what without breeding siblings with each other. Or maybe they do and just accept it? I’m always curious how they start with sometimes only a few animals and get the population up and running again from there!
@@MossyEarth Revive and Restore are doing projects like the black footed ferret where they found a museum specimen, sequenced its genome and cloned it. The clone is I think 7x more diverse than the ones left in the wild today.
The problem with cloning is that's dumb "solution" by stupid techbros who think computers can solve everything. Clones add zero genetic diversity to population by definition, and are only viable thing when a species has little diversity to begin with or to supplement already existing, big population. As tool of de-extinction they are useless, they are at best good for Jurassic Park style displays of a few individuals, not a replacement for proper breeding program.
I believe the Condors are kept in huge aviaries, like you'd see at any zoo with large birds. There are some fantastic clips of them in the zoos that we can't show in our own videos for copyright reasons, but I highly recommend looking some up! - Tom
I still have a book reccomending the liberal use of DDT for bird nest boxes and the birds, just to top it off it was advised to built the nest box out of asbestos sheeting, great book for a 14 year old back in the 70's!
I was taught that these giant condors fed on large wild animals that were plentiful for thousands of years. Today most of those wild grazing animals are no longer present due to humans killing them off and fences stoping the grazing habit. There just are not enough large animal carcasses lying around today to feed hundreds and hundreds of the big birds.
There are plenty out there if you know where to look! Somehow I've finally managed to curate my news feed well enough that now it mostly shows me positive wildlife stories, wish I knew exactly how I did that because it 100% beats the usual doom and gloom! - Tom
Reminds me of how a cattle drug called Diclofenac almost drove vulture population in India to extinction. Thanks to all the diseases that spread in vulture's absence opened our eyes and the vulture conservation efforts are finally picking up
Unfortunately it's a common story, a miracle chemical that sees widespread use where we only notice the side effects once it's done a ton of damage... At least more people are paying attention to vulture and condor conservation now! - Tom
Here in Australia, wedgetail eagles a killed out of hand by most graziers due to the birds predating lambs. No amount of coercion will change that. Sad but true.
Please make longer form videos regarding controversial topics like hunting, trapping, and dealing with non-native animal species from a land management perspective.
🌲 If you would like to support our rewilding projects by becoming a member then you can learn more here: mossy.earth/ 🙌
Hope to hear a story about monarch butterflies or rhinos in the future.
Could you guys please be interested in reintroducing wolves to Appalachia or saving the red wolves? It would be something great to check up on.
I had no problems whatsoever hyping up the California Condor in this, they're massively impressive animals! To really put the "200 miles in a single day" in context, if that rate was somehow consistent they'd fly the width of the US in 14 days and circle the globe in 125 days.
PLEASE remember folks that not all zoos and aquariums are bad. Many used to have poor conditions, but especially in first world countries they are so so important to wildlife and their care
Absolutely my personal view on the matter. I believe zoos have a massive duty of care to animals (and any places that mistreat them or have tiny enclosures should be shut down) but there's no denying that modern zoos have a huge role to play in conservation. Breeding programs need a proper environment and trained staff to work, for the ones related to our Desertas expeditions that I mentioned the snails are kept in perfectly maintained conditions to replicate their natural environment, and wouldn't be successful if it wasn't for that extra care. They also need revenue from somewhere to pay for all of this, and there's also definitely an argument to be made regarding their role in education and encouraging an interest in nature. Things are rarely as simple as being wholly right or wrong, there's a whole lot of nuance and grey areas in this world! - Tom
@@MossyEarth Thank you, this is also my opinion on the subject. As a zookeeper I sometimes get scared by all the people saying that we threat animals bad. The zoo I work at even protects a huge area of mangrove forests in Belize and has released a small herd of Preswalski horses. Those are justt two examples but zoos are doing so much good work at conservation. Modern zoos with big modern enclosures are awesome. The smaller zoos that keep animals in small crammed enclosures are not so great. and even modern zoos aren't perfect, there is always something to change or improve. Luckly most of them are willing tot do that
I think a lot of people assume zoos operate like Sea World for pure. However, many zoos do a lot of research, education, rehabilitation, and conservation. All the zoos I have been to do a lot for wild animals.
@@multidroid111 If only we funded more conservation instead of giving yet more undeserved tax theft-- I mean ""breaks"" to ultra-rich bankster scum stealing money from 99%...
Hmm I disagree with this. There are lots of issues with zoos imo but yea they arguably played a role in keeping a few animals from going extinct. According to a study they saved apparently up to 48 species.
According to the AZA, only 3% of a zoo's entire budget goes to conservation efforts, of which many fail. And predators are hard to introduce back to the wild, about half of them die when released back into the wild.
I think it would be a huge step forward if zoos were only allowed to keep species that are proven to be threatened (as of rn roughly 70% of animals in European zoos are not threatened), if they were only allowed to keep animals from their continent, not exotic ones and if they were forced to operate non-profit.
But even then enclosures wouldn't be close to match their natural habitate and conservation would still primarily happen locally
While I was hiking out of the Grand Canyon with my cousin back in 2009 we were startled by a condor shooting vertically out of a tree, it was like seeing a legendary bird Pokemon, at that time there were very few remaining in the wild,, I'll never forget it.
Haha a legendary Pokémon is a damn good comparison! I can only imagine if you set a Condor on fire you'd basically have Moltres.
For the record, I STRONGLY discourage setting a Condor on fire. - Tom
@@MossyEarth 🔥
Don't EVER apologize for including that puppet clip! I love it! These are such amazing birds and I'm glad they're recovering. I hope they continue to expand
I honestly couldn't love it more, it's ridiculous yet ingenious at the same time! I think we all have our fingers crossed for the California Condor, there's lots yet to do but it certainly looks like they're in good hands! - Tom
I’m always just shocked how low the numbers get, 60 is just so insane… my family has a long history of defending and repairing different environmental zones, and it always just shocks me how nobody else ever seemed to care…
As I briefly mentioned in the video, education is perhaps the most important aspect of rewilding. My interest in wildlife was sparked and nurtured by my family too, we just need more people to open their eyes to how amazing the natural world is! - Tom
Most people have many more issues than that. Try to think of the environment when you don't know whether or not you can still afford your rent next month
Please make a vedio on revival of asian lion
@@Michaah That's why taxing of ultra rich and proper state programs are so needed, but alas, that's CUMUNIZM and we can't have that, eh?
@@KuK137 well the strawmans get weirder and weirder but I guess some people use communism to strawman such endeavours
A couple of years ago, I saw California Condors flying free up at the Vermillion Cliffs in northern Arizona. It was truly an amazing sight!
Sounds awesome, hopefully with the work done on these breeding programs that experience will be far more common in the future! - Tom
Fun Fact - The California Condor has been around since the Pleistocene. Before they were feasting on elk and moose, they fed on the carcasses of woolly mammoths and ground sloths. That's why they're so dang big - they're actually prehistoric megafauna that managed to survive the end of the last Ice Age.
Mammoths in the Andes tho 🤔
I wonder if these things are related to teritornis
@@polarmouse3943there were many other megafauna in the Andes area.
So happy to see information spreading on the condors. As someone who is actively raising them at a zoo, it literally makes me cry. Thank you for this video!
In an online world full of bad news or useless entertainment, its always nice to watch the amazing conservation work being done across the world. Thanks 🙏
Thank you, we'll do our best to keep highlighting these efforts and contributing our own! - Tom
I wish my teachers had shown videos like these in my ecology classes to teach how deva stating biomagnification is...
Great video as always Tom!
I've actually heard of a few teachers showing our videos in biology classes, which is mind blowing to me and a massive honour! Glad you enjoyed this Lee! - Tom
Incredible video as always. BBC has something coming for them! It’s amazing to see these wonderful animals be restored into their natural habitats (:
Haha thanks, I don't know about BBC material but I'll try and close that gap! This was a really amazing story to have the privilege to cover, no doubt there's a long way to go but the participating zoos are really accomplishing something amazing here! - Tom
Most people are so unaware of the massive loss of biodiversity we are witnessing. Spreading this type of information is so important. Keep the great job!!!
A massive kudos to the entire team at Mossy Earth. You are doing a terrific job. I'm delighted you're utilizing UA-cam to spread awareness of your rewilding projects. Discovering your content has affirmed my decision to become a conservation biologist.
A native tribe near me just started Condor program and they have been working for this for decades. It's so wonderful to live near such a stewardship stewardship project in the works and I hope they are successful! I think they had about five young condors. I hope to see one of their descendants roaming free!
I would love to see these guys back and flying about over the rainforests of BC
Well done digging up all of those interesting facts. Very happy these stange and wonderful flying giants are still around!
Thanks Tiago, glad you enjoyed the video! - Tom
I need me one of those hand puppets, chicks are too cute. I'll never forget seeing the Andean Condor, flying high along a moutain top in Chile... i was in the valley below and even from that far away it was absolutely HUGE.
I think Condor chicks perfectly fit the description of "so ugly it's cute". Must've been amazing to see an Andean Condor, I'd love to see one in the wild someday! - Tom
@@MossyEarth hahaha, that might just be my new social bio
Well thought commentary. Hopefully California condors will come back as strong as possible to sustainable levels in the future and it’s good for our ecosystem. 👏 🐦 ❤️ 🌎
Thank you Christopher! California Condors certainly have the backing behind them so they won't be disappearing anytime soon at least, but there's definitely a long way to go (especially culturally regarding lead poisoning) before the wild population is self-sustaining. Hopefully that'll change in the future! - Tom
I really like this narrator , he is informative with a good balance of humor
Thanks Edward, I really appreciate that! - Tom
I did a 2nd grade report on the California condor years ago and I remember noting how few there were left. I've maintained a fascination with them even decades later. Rooting for their survival. Thanks for the informative video!
A neighbor worked on a condor program decades ago, and talked about the hand puppets.
I can see it being a big conversation point, it's adorable, hilarious and genius at the same time! - Tom
all these stories of animals recovering and making a come back is actually cheering me up
Beautiful Creatures 🥰
Thank you Ema! :)
Vultures are so cool.
Yea yea, important to the eco system and even for humans especially important in killing diseases before they can spread, that's all great and true.
But just look at them. Wingspans for which the word "imposing" is an understatement! And their heads and feathers look metal as hell. Underappreciated as they might be, I hope their luck turns around - for the condor and every other vulture.
This video certainly will help that effort, thanks Mossy Earth!
Vultures are fantastic creatures, and amazingly well adapted for their way of life! California Condors in particular really cut quite an impressive figure, it would have been a massive tragedy for them to be gone from the skies for good. Hopefully this'll inform some people who weren't previously aware of the damage lead ammunition does to wildlife, especially scavengers.
Thank you for your support, I'm glad you enjoyed the video! - Tom
Another awesome video, love our video team! :)
Thanks Paul, I'm glad you enjoyed it! - Tom
I've seen them soaring among the high peaks at Pinnacles, rising effortlessly on the updrafts in smooth graceful flight. Absolutely beautiful.
I would recommend taking a look at the efforts of Pinnacles National Park and Oakland Zoo. They partner together to monitor lead levels in wild CA condors and Oakland Zoo will take those that are sick and remove lead ammo (as needed) and rerelease them into the wild once they have recovered.
Another great zoo is the Los Angeles Zoo. They are currently caring for the oldest female #171 Traveler for lead poisoning. She had surgery to remove the remaining lead fragments from her digestive tract. As of a 7/13/22 update, her crop is out of stasis and she is now passing food normally. Huge thanks to Pinnacles National Park, Oakland Zoo, LA Zoo & LightHawk who flew her from Oakland Zoo to LA Zoo.
I’ve been lucky enough to see them in the wild, 6 in California and 2 in Northern Arizona!
Kudos to Michael, such a great falconer and conservationist!!
Worth to mention the Non-Lead Partnership and how meaningful could be this initiative in the near future.
This channel is so high quality ngl, I can see you guys having millions of subscribers in the upcoming years. Goodluck :)
It's my favorite bird, an amazing animal for the wild west. Yall are doing great work!
One of the greatest stories ever!!!!!!
I agree, it's a truly remarkable recovery story! - Tom
The double clutch and hand puppet technique were used in Takahe breeding in New Zealand.
I'd love for you guys to make longer videos!
I really do think your channel is important I didn’t know any of these things before you showed up, Kay I knew one, but anyone that puts their time here on earth into making the most vulnerable of us feel like their life matters is a hero to me your kindness has not gone unnoticed your an owesome human being.
Thank you, that means a lot to hear! I know what it's like to go through some really rough times, and I sincerely hope that highlighting some of these positive stories is helping people out in a world that seems to be all bad news all the time. There's plenty of great people doing amazing work out there, just unfortunately very few are properly celebrated! - Tom
Such an informative video! So good, well done Tom!
Thank you, happy to hear you enjoyed it! - Tom
I really love these birds and there's even rumors that a few have finally been spotted in my area! I get why people have the instinct of disliking zoos but honestly the well-run ones are pretty fantastic in general and the conservation work and the outreach/education they do is invaluable. I saw on your website that you have a project going regarding sea otters in California near Monterey - have you been working with (or considered working with) the Monterey Bay Aquarium in this? I know they have some fantastic programs w/their otter surrogacy/release program and conservation efforts in Elkhorn Slough
I kid you not, while I read that I was listening to Monterey Bay Aquarium's '2 hours of Squid Lofi' video, I find I work really well to their videos in particular!
I don't believe we have worked with them on this project. I looked up the project file just now and our local partners on it are listed as Elkhorn Slough National Research Reserve (ESNERR) and Defenders of Wildlife. Whether or not either have correspondence with the aquarium is unknown to me, but given that Elkhorn Slough is part of Monterey Bay I'd assume they do. I hope this helped! - Tom
@@MossyEarth I don't think they're directly associated but I've definitely heard of ESNERRs conservation work :) Mostly just thought of MBA as they are really a top notch aquarium both in terms of animal care and conservation and also just absolutely a great visit for guests. really looking forward to seeing updates on this project in general!
Double clutches and puppets, what more do you want in a video. Great work as always, Tom!
Thanks Matt, I'm glad you enjoyed it! - Tom
That close up at 8:25 🤣
This stories are allways both sad and happy, happy because it's a good comeback but sad because it declined in the first place
Couldn't agree more :)
the slow growth and reproduction rate of them is also 1 of the facts that makes them challenging to conserve
Absolutely, it was perhaps the biggest challenge in the breeding program. Slower reproducing species are always at a greater risk of population collapse, and unfortunately so many of the largest and most impressive animals all reproduce pretty slowly. In this case though they at least managed to find a solution! - Tom
Well done Tom, loved that you got all the interesting facts together for this video! Especially the puppet, hahaha!!
Glad you enjoyed it Bob, thanks for watching! - Tom
Thanks as always for the video and glad to see your subscriber count increasing!
Thank you Felix, glad to hear you enjoyed the video! We're really happy with how this channel is growing, and that's all thanks to the support of people like you! - Tom
Another amazing video, loving the content and the work you are doing at Mossy Earth
Thank you Nick, really glad to hear you like our content and projects! - Tom
Great video. You should in future do a video on hunting, where it’s destructive and where it’s helping.
great video as always, I recommend looking into the Mauritius kestrel this bird species went down to as low as 2 breeding pairs.
Thank you Raf! Added to the list. - Cheers, Duarte
I do want to correct myself as there was 4 individuals but only one of them was a breeding female
Lovely content! So glad I found your channel. I'm a wildlife technician here in the U.S and have been super fascinated by condors. I even took a camping trip with a friend of mine to go see them at Vermillion Cliffs in Arizona (vid of that is on my channel, small plug lmao).
I can't explain how happy your videos make me feel. I am glad that earth has still some humans left who care for mother nature and it's creation. It's truly feel divine to do such noble work. I am from India and due to rapid population explosion we have lost too much of biodiversity and most of population is fighting for their survival so they really don't have environmental issues in their mind but i really hope that my gov. start educating new generation about nature & conservation effects and also show your documentary . It will really help to build a new generation of conscious human beings. Thanks for all your efforts . Regards from Himalayas India.
Thank you Surya, your kind words mean a lot! As you mentioned, people will always be more concerned about affording their next meal rather than the environment until they escape that situation, but from what I've read recently India is really coming around to the environmental side of things. There are some equally impressive success stories beginning to emerge from there, and I'm sure that trend will continue! - Tom
Well done. I enjoyed your video. Thanks
Im really passionate about birds of prey, ive always admired them and its great to see you helping them nearby me in Namibia. (Im in south africa)
Excellent work for a wonderful bird.
Well done Tom! Really loved this expansion on the previous video on the condor. The puppet was hilarious 😂
Glad you enjoyed the video Duarte, I just knew we had to include those hand puppet photos once I saw them! - Tom
Those pics are too cute! Would be great if you guys could post a pic with short summary of story on insta so people can share this story with colleagues, friends and fam :) I made a printscreen to show my colleagues tomorrow! These condor babies raised by hand puppet deserve to go viral!
Just had one come clean up my backyard of a dead opossum!,,,
And I was GRATEFUL to see em, because I wasn't cleaning it up!👎🏼😁😝
Such a beautiful but on guard Bird, he saw me peek through the window & took off.
Thank goodness he came back to finished it OFF.
One less thing to deal with! They'll do the same for countless places where an animal would go untouched by humans too, the importance of scavengers really can't be understated! - Tom
That’s incredible
seen what i thought were california condors flying low overhead numerous times and was always amazed. i still will regularly pull my bike/van over just to watch them, that's how amazing it is seeing them flying above you. found out those were turkey vultures and those are actually four feet shorter in wing length....so in a couple months i'm taking a trip to actually get to see, fingers crossed, the largest wing span animal on earth. so stoked!!
This is amazing. Thank you.
Oregon Zoo is another one that has a breeding program for California Condors. They also have one for butterflies.
I only know the andean condor myself, seen wild ones from as little as 2 meters. They're truly impressive when in flight.
Thanks so much for this video! I am always sooo excited and feel like I’m in for a treat when I see you guys posted a new video. :) This one was of great quality again! Vultures are such intriguing creatures and these concepts of increasing the amounts of birds, experimenting with raising 2 chicks and asexual production are so cool and mind boggling! Thanks for letting us know :)
Thank you, it means a lot to hear you're enjoying our content so much! - Tom
Very well said sir.
I saw one on my way up to the north rim of the grand canyon, it really was huge
Around 1990, there were plans to reintroduce California Condors into the Columbia Gorge (The Columbia River is the border between Oregon and Washington State.) where they used to thrive in the 19th century. The Gorge is very windy. So the multinational corporations built wind farms with vast numbers of wind turbines, lethal to birds. So the plan to reintroduce the magnificent condor was abandoned. (The turbines did succeed in exterminating the raptor population, including all the formerly numerous eagles and hawks where I myself live. I know what I am talking about.)
That sucks to hear, some renewable energy sources really aren't as green as they're claimed to be. There's a similar story in our wetlands project, where part of the Danube was diverted to a hydroelectric dam and devastated the biodiversity of the area it used to run through.
Complicated topic as they're definitely better for the world in general than fossil fuels, but both have their drawbacks for nature, especially when implemented improperly. - Tom
@@MossyEarth There's some recent work in IIRC Norway that shows painting certain patterns on the vanes can make them more visible to birds and significantly reduce collisions.
@@MossyEarth Renewable energy, intended to solve the problem of CO2 emissions, only create NEW problems that assault Mother Earth in NEW ways. When are people going to realize THERE AIN'T NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH? Renewable energy is a toxic band-aid on a hemorrhaging wound. We must admit that the only real solution is to cut consumption. If we went back to the level of consumption of, say, 1962, we could live well and make a big difference. But we are flooded with distracting yap about pie-in-the-sky "solutions" such as wind-and-solar. It's an evasion, a refusal to confront the real problem. It's irresponsible, and childish.
And don't get me started on "environmentalists" who increase the burden on Mother Earth by giving birth, adding yet another consumer to the planet. For gawd's sake, adopt a child in need. There are so many children in need. Poor little kids. To insist that you MUST have a child with your own DNA is just another form of consumerism. My father was born in 1899 when the Colorado River still flowed into the Sea of Cortez, when the Amazon was intact, when the oceans were full of fish. If, with our current technology, we could go back to the population of 2 billion that existed in 1899, the human race would be living in paradise. There would be no more moronic talk about colonizing Mars.
(By the way, if I win the lottery, I'm gonna give the money to Mossy Earth.)
Great educational video!
I was lucky enough to spot a condor at pinnacles national park. Incredible experience
I love these birds so much- it's a goal of mine to see one flying in the wild someday! it's fantastic that their population has rebounded this well, and I hope for more improvement in the future!
Saw in California and literally said is it a bird, is it a plane. Then “it’s a plane, hang on!”
😂
Awesome video!
It would be a shame that such a great bird as the California Condor would disappear. Thanks people. I think we need to expand their habitats and severely punish illegal hunting. Like from Kazakhstan.
Much love from California
Here’s a suggestion I would prefer for future breeding plans.
The zoos participating in the condor program could expand the capacity of their off-site breeding facilities for more chicks to be raised and encourage other zoological facilities under the AZA to participate in the breeding and release programs.
cheers!
Hats off to the conservationists!!
❤️👏👏👏❤️
I see turkey vultures and bald eagles all the time. I thought those birds were huge but they’re not nearly as big as the condor. I’d totally like to see a one in person. Out in the wild. I hope they make a complete comeback in the future.
Human population needs to be in balance with jobs, resources, nature and the environment. Having a bigger population in any country than the country can support makes no sense. Access to food, water, shelter, energy and jobs should guide population levels. The worlds population is still expected to add another billion people to feed, clothe and produce pollution. Humans are crowding out all other species of plants and animals. Education and birth control are key to reducing poverty and hunger. Having a child that you can not provide for yourself is cruel and irresponsible. We need solutions not just sympathy. Endless population growth is not sustainable on a finite planet. Every country needs to "TRY" to be more self sufficient. When there are not enough resources to sustain a population something has to give. Countries need to focus on quality of life for their citizens and not just quantity of life for cheap labor.
They are sacred, god bless them
Been impressed with things like the recovery of the Asiatic lion which has steadily increased in numbers as the state it is remaining in has expanded habitat and relocated population.
Asiatic Lions are noted down as a potential video, but unfortunately I think there's a lack of usable stock footage on them. The availability of footage is the biggest limiter on what we cover alongside the time they take to make, there are so many amazing recovery stories out there but more often than not all the footage is copyrighted, and we can't justify the expense of travelling to film a non-project related video... I'll keep an eye out to see if the footage situation improves though! - Tom
@@MossyEarth No problem it is just something I periodically check the news for when the count them officially and unofficially.
@G M
Wow that is good news for the Asiatic Lion, hopefully the Tamaraws get more attentions too they're decreasing only at 500 individuals are left they're endemic to the Philippines in one island out of the 7,641 islands that we have, it is crazy how fast they're decreasing just months ago there is 2 guys who are poachers that killed 1 and a few years ago there are a lot of killed Tamaraws seen and there alibay was because of the pandemic, it is very sad if they were to go extinct because I think they're the only species of there species.
Great video
Another great video Tom! And another great example of a species that is seeing a cultural transformation through a changing narrative. Glad we’re helping to raise the condor’s profile and contribute to rewriting its story.
Thank you Tim! There are plenty more of these stories out there that all deserve a platform of their own, hopefully we can continue to do so for a long time! - Tom
How are lead bullets even still allowed? I thought they were banned like lead sinkers
Nearly everywhere has recognised that lead ammunition is terrible for ecosystems, but unfortunately many countries are really dragging their heels on banning it outright. There's lots of pressure from environmental organisations and lots of counter pressure from gun organisations, but it at least seems to be generally swaying against using lead now. Change will be gradual, but hopefully inevitable in the coming years! - Tom
Unlike sinkers for fishing no other metal is as effective as lead for a bullet, the mass of lead gives it the power to punch through materials that lighter metals cannot so the choice is obvious. It'd be like if you were being run at by someone with a knife and you tried to take down someone with a bb gun.
Would you do a video on de-extinction and cloning as a way to boost biodiversity in endangered species?
That's actually an idea we've had archived for a while, but I'm not sure if it quite fits into our niche that we've defined for ourselves. Possibly in the future, but we're not sure yet! - Tom
De extinction would be good for arctic ecosystems
That would be so interesting to hear about! Or just a video about how these zoos create 86 out of 27 when it comes to mixing with genes with what without breeding siblings with each other. Or maybe they do and just accept it? I’m always curious how they start with sometimes only a few animals and get the population up and running again from there!
@@MossyEarth Revive and Restore are doing projects like the black footed ferret where they found a museum specimen, sequenced its genome and cloned it. The clone is I think 7x more diverse than the ones left in the wild today.
The problem with cloning is that's dumb "solution" by stupid techbros who think computers can solve everything. Clones add zero genetic diversity to population by definition, and are only viable thing when a species has little diversity to begin with or to supplement already existing, big population. As tool of de-extinction they are useless, they are at best good for Jurassic Park style displays of a few individuals, not a replacement for proper breeding program.
I used to see vultures in Louisiana all the time when I was kid....I haven't seen one in so long
How do they keep the birds at zoo?
How do they prevent Condors from escaping?
I believe the Condors are kept in huge aviaries, like you'd see at any zoo with large birds. There are some fantastic clips of them in the zoos that we can't show in our own videos for copyright reasons, but I highly recommend looking some up! - Tom
Bravo
I still have a book reccomending the liberal use of DDT for bird nest boxes and the birds, just to top it off it was advised to built the nest box out of asbestos sheeting, great book for a 14 year old back in the 70's!
Here in Colombia we have promoted a lot of conservation projects but funding is the problem. So, pnly the gov does Condor conservation. What a shame
From 40 something k to almost 70k, you guys grew so fast in just few days!
also any update on the kelp project?.
Condors being found to reproduce asexually is also eerily reminiscent of Jurassic Park.
Vulture Restraunt was the name of my band in highschool
You can see the condor puppets at the Smithsonian museum in Washington dc
I see them around once in a while the south American ones are more.elegant I've seen
I was taught that these giant condors fed on large wild animals that were plentiful for thousands of years. Today most of those wild grazing animals are no longer present due to humans killing them off and fences stoping the grazing habit. There just are not enough large animal carcasses lying around today to feed hundreds and hundreds of the big birds.
Good news story for a change.
There are plenty out there if you know where to look! Somehow I've finally managed to curate my news feed well enough that now it mostly shows me positive wildlife stories, wish I knew exactly how I did that because it 100% beats the usual doom and gloom! - Tom
Where was Condor when the Westfold fell?!
"why did you watch a video this long?"
_looks at watch later playlist with several dozen multi-hour videos._
_looks back to nine minute video._
God bless the Condor from entenxtion, the Andean Condor the second largest bird with a wingspan of around 10 feet meters
Reminds me of how a cattle drug called Diclofenac almost drove vulture population in India to extinction. Thanks to all the diseases that spread in vulture's absence opened our eyes and the vulture conservation efforts are finally picking up
Unfortunately it's a common story, a miracle chemical that sees widespread use where we only notice the side effects once it's done a ton of damage... At least more people are paying attention to vulture and condor conservation now! - Tom
I read Gondor at first, and I originally clicked to find out how the hell that title made any sense.
Here in Australia, wedgetail eagles a killed out of hand by most graziers due to the birds predating lambs. No amount of coercion will change that. Sad but true.
Draw concern on Bengal Tiger especially in Nepal. Want to know how their population can be increased. Eagerly waiting for your response.
Please make longer form videos regarding controversial topics like hunting, trapping, and dealing with non-native animal species from a land management perspective.