1 ! 2 B R E E D I N G

Hand-rearing Andean condors

at West Berlin Zoo 1 'iiltrrr yyph i r s

The West Berlin Zoo acquired a & Andean condor I . i i / t r ~ p y j h s in 1953 and an adult 9 in December I 96;. Thc pair lives in a spacious free-flight aviary in our Bird of Prey Rock exhibit. The flap between the indoor-outdoor enclosures is left open, allowing the birds to come and go as they plcasc; it is shut oiily at night and during cold \vinter spells.

During the winter of 1967, after a prolonged display. we observed copulation for the first tiinc. Thc following April onc egg was laid and incubated for 59 days. An apparently healthy o chick hatched and was well looked after by the pxents. The chick died on Day 31; the post- niortcin revealed that the stomach was impacted on pebbles and the chick was suffering from scvcre adiposis.

Our condors displayed cvery December regularly, copulated in January and laid a single egg in early spring (1 April 1968; 20 March 1969; 1 3 March 1970; 13 March 1971; 6 March 197.2). The birds nested inside. We had erected a 28 cm wooden partition, thus giving the birds a secluded shelter mcasuring 1.30 x 0.95 m. The floor was covered with pebbles to a depth of 1 5 cni.

In 1967 and 1968 we observed the d regularly relieving the 5 during incubation. The 3 in- cubated the egg from 0900 to 1700 hours and was then replaced by the ? who sat until the following morning. Incubation lasted 59, 60, 60, 59, 59, 59 days for the six clutches respec- tively. in 196X we lost the second condor chick on Day 38, also due to adiposis and stomach blockage caused by matted hair. It becamc appa- rent that the solicitous parents were overfeeding their offspring. From then on we separated the chicks from the parents after two weeks and

hand-reared them. At that time they weighed 1000 g (1969); 795 g (1970); 775 g (1971) 2nd 750 g (1972).

The young condors spent their first weeks in a crate measuring 60 x 90 x 3 5 cm. The floor was covered with a layer of peat and pebbles and a cloth was spread over the surface to catch the droppings. One comer, sheltered by a wool cloth, became the favourite sleeping place. The room temperature was zzoc; an infra-red lamp maintained the inside of the crate at a warm 26 to 3 0 ' ~ . The birds were placed in an outdoor cage every day, weather permitting.

We fed the baby condors the same pre-digested food mixture we had used successfully when hand-rearing American Black vultures C O ~ Q X ~ atram. We placed the meat in warm water, added Enzynorm pills to speed decomposition, and put the dish in an incubator for five hours. The chicks were fed mice, rat and sparrow intestines as well as minced horsemeat and horse heart. At three weeks, roe of freshwater fish was added and later shell limestone and sandstone occasionally. Vitamin and mineral supplements were given as well.

The young condors did well on this diet under the care of Mrs Elisabeth Johst, our headkeeper of birds. The 9, born in 1969, died when eight months old when she weighed 10.25 kg. Kenton Lint (San Diego Zoo) notes that a six-month-old condor weighed 1126 kg. At the same age ours weighed 12 kg (3) and 9'90 kg (?), were fully feathered and able to fly.

The condors hatched in 1970 and 1971 were placed together this spring (1972), to form, we hope, a second breeding pair.

Manuscript subnlitted 30 May 1972