Response to: “Acknowledging Andean Condor predation on livestock, a first step in addressing the human-condor conflict: A commentary to Estrada Pacheco et al 2020”

Abstract

We are aware that “Andean Condors occasionally depart from their scavenging habits to injure or kill young livestock” (Zuluaga et al., 2020). This behaviour can generate a conflict with ranchers and trigger actions that threaten their survival. We understand that this conflict is one of the threats faced by this species, that is why we are continuously working on the diffusion of its ecological and cultural role as recommended for conflicts with both vultures and predators (O'Bryan et al., 2018). However, perceptions of the damage caused by wildlife may not agree with the actual damage caused by these species (Dickman, 2010), so studies of the causes, level of damage, and frequency of these attacks are especially necessary, as also suggested by Zuluaga et al. (2020). Those studies should be done in different areas, since depredation impact is possibly heterogeneous throughout its South American distribution.