http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/09/san-diego-zoo-launches-california-condor-cam.php?campaign=th_rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+treehuggersite+%28Treehugger%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
Picture: This picture shows a California condor, a bird that has almost been extinct, but certain facilities like the San Diego Zoo have been keeping them safe and the population has been rising!
Summary: There was once less than two dozen California condors left. That is less than 24, which isn't a whole lot for a species of birds. Lately, the condors population has been rising, and places like the San Diego Zoo has a condor breeding area where they have installed a web cam, so people can follow and watch this bird from anywhere around the world. The web cam allows people to see this wonderful bird in action, and once they lay eggs the web can will be focused onto the eggs. Soon there will be a bunch of baby condors being born! It's an amazing sight for people to watch. It isn't just for entertainment purposes though. The whole point of this is to have these condors in this breeding center, so they can be saved and the population can be risen. They were once very very close to extinction. 80 condors have been released from this breeding center back into the wild. This shows that these breeding centers are really working and the condors are being saved, and everyone can watch it happen right from their computer at home.
Opinion/Reflection: When I first saw this, I was really excited! I think it's a great idea that people can experience these condors being saved, and be released back into their habitat, and experience new baby condors being born. They were once so close to extinction, and now there are many more being brought to life. They should really keep this going, and hopefully the condors won't be endangered at all anymore!
Questions:
1. Why do you think the condor gets a lot of attention for being endangered, but other endangered species don't?
2. Do you think the idea of this web cam is a good idea? Why or why not?
3. What do you think would happen if the condor went extinct?
Opinion/Reflection: I think this is a really great idea, because it serves two purposes. Not just letting people see the progress of the birds for entertainment purposes, also helping breed more condors! Hopefully, these condors won't be endangered anymore, and maybe they can use this method with other animals too!
ReplyDeleteQuestion 1: Probably because the condor is a key species in the trophic pyramid or eco system. And other endangered animals aren't as important as the condor, and that if they were extinct it would do less damage than the condor going extinct.
Opinion/Reflection: I think having a webcam is a great idea. I know that people would love to see a California Condor being born. I remember watching a female panda through a webcam and it was pretty entertaining. It is fun to see what happens in animal's lives. This is a great way to get people involved in extinction problems. This could also draw the attention of many to the problems that lie within extinction in our world today. It really is a tremendous idea and could be a lot of fun for people.
ReplyDeleteExspansion: Answer to question #3- If the Californian Condor went extinct the ecosystem surrounding it could go corrupt. This bird is probably at the top of its ecosystem's trophic pryramid so if it were to go extinct, it would allow organisms below it to grow more. Eventually the ecosystem would adjust to this recession of condors and return back to normal.
Opinion/Reflection:
ReplyDeleteToday, many different ways are being attempted to save endangered species. I think this Condor Cam idea is very unique. People will be able to see this species move along on their screen at home and maybe even try to help by donating money. Hopefully this program will expand to more species.
Expansion:
http://www.npca.org/wildlife_protection/wildlife_facts/condor.html
This website has a lot of information on this topic.
Opinion/reflection
ReplyDeleteI think that this is a great idea! People can enjoy watching baby bird hatch from their eggs and what they do in the nest before they can fly or be released back into the wild. Also, this is a decently good way to the California Condor issue out to the public through the media! I hope that the population keeps on improving, that way the population will be normal again!
Expansion:
Answer to question number 2- I think that the webcam is both a good and not so good idea. It is good because everyone will know about the California Condor and how it takes care of its babies in its nest. Its also not good because the webcam may distract the birds and that may mess up how they usually behave. If they have the webcam, it should be not near the nest, but close to it and focused on the one specific nest.