The most fragile of species, the California Condor, until recently had been losing significant numbers to electrocution. NewScientist (22 August 2015, paywall) reports on how conservationists combat this:
Electrical cables and lead poisoning have been killing them off too early. “As they go in to land at a carcass, or to roost for the night, they just don’t see the power lines,” says Bruce Rideout of San Diego Zoo. Their wings can bridge the gap between cables, resulting in electrocution if they touch two lines at once.
So conservationists have come up with a shocking solution. The condors are caught several times a year for monitoring and health screening, when they also receive cable aversion training. Artificial utility poles, placed in large training pens, teach the birds to stay clear of cables by giving them a painful electric shock. Before the training was introduced, 66 per cent of released birds died of electrocution. This has now dropped to 18 per cent (Biological Conservation, doi.org/6tb).
