This month, we’re soaring through the skies to explore the wonders of one of the largest birds on our planet. Alex is joined by Peter Gros, wildlife expert and co-host of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild. With over three decades of experience and a treasure trove of captivating stories, Peter is the perfect wingman to navigate the fascinating world of these magnificent birds. From its vast wingspan to its crucial role in our ecosystem, get ready for a journey that will leave you captivated. So, join us as we take flight into the amazing realm of the California condor.
About Our Guest: Peter Gros
Peter Gros is a veteran wildlife expert who shares his love for wildlife and wilderness with families and children throughout the country. He has nearly 30 years of field experience with wildlife and has been a part of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom since 1985.
He is a licensed Exhibition & Animal Educator for the Department of Agriculture and an active member of the American Zoo and Aquariums Association, Association of Wildlife Educators and Zoological Association of America.
Links
- Connect with Peter on Instagram
- Connect with Peter on Facebook
- Check out Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom
- Follow Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom on Instagram
- Follow Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom on Facebook
Organizations
- Friends of California Condors Wild and Free
- Ventana Wildlife Society
- California Condor Recovery Program
[00:00:00] Alex Re: Hello. Welcome to On Wildlife. I'm your host, Alex Re. On this podcast, we bring the wild to you. We take you on a journey into the life of a different animal every week. And I guarantee you, you're going to come out of here knowing more about your favorite animal than you did before. In this episode, we're looking up to the skies to talk about one of the largest flying birds in the world. And here to give us some really great insights on this amazing animal is Peter Gros, a wildlife expert and the co host of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, Protecting the Wild. He's been with Wild Kingdom since 1985, so he's got tons of experience and plenty of stories to share with us.
[00:00:45] Today, let's go airborne as we talk about the California Condor.
[00:01:08] Hey, Peter. How you doing?
[00:01:09] Peter Gros: Great, Alex. It's a pleasure to get to talk to you.
[00:01:12] Alex Re: I'm so glad that you were able to come on today. So thanks so much for coming on. And let's just get started. Can you just tell us a little bit about yourself and how you started your career working with wildlife?
[00:01:23] Peter Gros: Sure. Absolutely.
[00:01:24] Be glad to. I actually was sort of hardwired to have a career like this. I grew up in the Hudson Valley, surrounded by 3, 600 acres of wooded forest. that my grandfather had planted. And we had ponds and lakes and rivers nearby. And, uh, that's, that's, it was my first connection with the natural world. That's where I would spend my days growing up.
[00:01:49] After that, I attended school for animal behavior and husbandry. And then almost immediately following started working for a company designing free roaming animal displays, but I have to give full credit to all the zoo directors and curators who were so helpful. in my early career, welcoming me to San Diego Zoo and Wildlife Safari in San Francisco.
[00:02:13] And I attended as many conferences, zoos, as I possibly could and pick people's brains about what worked for their zoos and what didn't, what worked in their wide open enclosures. What was it like having, dealing with masses of people, observing animals? What were the comfort levels of people? How did you keep them stimulated?
[00:02:32] And they, they were all so helpful. And then the next step was I got to work with. Dr. Murray Fowler at UC Davis, as he brought students to our facility and he pretty much wrote the first books on exotic animal medicine. And working alongside him was just an invaluable education. So that's pretty much how I got started and then gradually got more involved with zoo design and specialized in the breeding of endangered species.
[00:03:03] more specifically spotted and striped cats at one time.
[00:03:07] Alex Re: Wow. That's really awesome. And it goes to show what supportive community can really do to get your interest going and, and really take you to the next level of your passions.
[00:03:19] Peter Gros: Absolutely. And I find that still true. Uh, you being a teacher knows those inquiring minds and at that age, they want to know everything about everything has to do with wildlife.
[00:03:32] At one point I was actually able to take a group of seventh graders to the Peruvian rainforest, 39 of them, along with some other college professors and Mitchell Vomha was the lead sponsor. We spent time there living with the Rivianos people and the Yaguas and had sort of a cross cultural exchange and it changed people's lives.
[00:03:56] Many students have ended up following in my career, they're interested in biology, they're very interested in saving, Rainforest and wildlife. So it's been a tremendous experience that just get a little taste of what you get to do so much of your life.
[00:04:12] Alex Re: Yeah, that that's really amazing. And there's, you know, there is one thing to be in the classroom, but another thing to actually go out into the field and experience it firsthand.
[00:04:21] Peter Gros: Yeah, well, that's the greatest classroom of all.
[00:04:24] Alex Re: Absolutely.
[00:04:25] Peter Gros: And the highlight was, as they said, jokingly said, it couldn't be done. You came back with all 39.
[00:04:34] Alex Re: I was just thinking that myself, actually. Oh, that's great. Um, and you've been a part of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom since 1985. Can you talk to us about the show and what you've spent your time doing there?
[00:04:50] Peter Gros: Sure, sure. I should probably back up just a tiny bit and tell you how I actually was invited to be on the show. We had the world's largest litter of tigers ever born and the female whom I had raised let me in the denning box and rotate the cubs so they could all get the necessary colostrum. And someone took a picture and back then it went on the wire.
[00:05:17] So I was asked by a national talk show if I could show the, uh, world's largest litter of tigers. And I said as long as I can talk about tiger conservation and the importance of preserving habitat for them. Jim Fowler was there from Wild Kingdom, and he explained, sadly, after all these years, Mr. Perkins, Marlon Perkins, was ill and asked if I could help out a little bit.
[00:05:43] And I thought for about two seconds and said, yes. They were really not looking for an actor, we're looking for a conservationist. So that's where it all started in 1985.
[00:05:55] Alex Re: Oh, wow.
[00:05:56] Peter Gros: And I must admit, I sort of cut my teeth quickly. Probably one of the first shows we went to. Louisiana at the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge where they were raising about 23, 000 alligators a year because up until that point they were needing to be protected.
[00:06:13] They were endangered. That was the year that they were, they came off the endangered species list in 1985. And our job was to go out at night, put lights on them in the water, see the red eyes, drift up silently next to them, lift them into the boat, and then the researchers and biologists with us would take a sample, measure their teeth, measure their length, determine the health, and then we'd release them back to the wild.
[00:06:41] So the very first show reminded me of the kinds of shows that I was able to watch in Wild Kingdom as a teenager. That's Mr. Fowler does actually reach in and grab young alligators and pull them in the water at night. So it had a short learning curve, and I, I can attest to the fact that with all ten fingers, Jim's a very good teacher.
[00:07:04] Alex Re: Oh, that's great. That is, it takes a lot of courage to do something like that.
[00:07:09] Peter Gros: Well, it was, it was easy when you have someone like Jim Fowler teaching you who had done it most of his life.
[00:07:14] Alex Re: Yeah, that's awesome. And you talked about a few animals already, which is awesome. Today, we're focusing on the California condor.
[00:07:23] Which animals are these birds most closely related to?
[00:07:27] Peter Gros: Well, they're most closely related to vultures. What they are basically is the largest bird of prey in the world. Although they don't actually prey on other prey. They're carrion eaters, uh, usually carrion or dead animals as we call them. Yeah, that are three to five days old because they emit an aroma and it's softer for them to eat them.
[00:07:52] Oftentimes the turkey vultures and the black vultures who have a keen sense of smell will be on a carcass. And then the other vultures that don't have such a keen sense of smell will look for them and then move in to feed on the same carcass. So, there are, it's such a wonderful story about the same time I was getting ready to start working with Wild Kingdom.
[00:08:15] Their numbers were down in the 20s. Now they're over 500. So the introduction program. Has gone incredibly well. And, uh, we're able to tell that story. I'm one of our mutual of Omaha's wild kingdom, so protecting the wild in the spirit of the condor.
[00:08:33] Alex Re: That's so great. And I am definitely gonna pick your brain later about what the conservation efforts entailed and what you did.
[00:08:42] But first. Before we get into that, you did talk about how they eat carrion. They're described as nature's cleanup crew. Can you talk a little bit about why that is and how they're able to eat this thing that most other animals would get sick eating?
[00:08:58] Peter Gros: Sure, sure, and that's a great question. I get that a lot, um, and because they are carrion eaters, unlike other birds of prey, eagles, hawks, owls, who have powerful talons for catching their prey, they have really not much strength.
[00:09:16] Once they discover the carrion, they simply have can opener type beaks for getting through the hide to do their job as cleanup. That's important because dead and decaying animals cause disease. Condors are preventing disease. They have enzymes in their stomachs and acid that make them immune to the bacteria that would make most animals sick, which is so incredible about these prehistoric looking animals.
[00:09:44] And if you look at them, most people think that condors aren't an attractive looking bird, because they don't have many feathers on their head or around their legs, and of course that's nature's way of being sure that, considering how they feed, that the ultraviolet rays on their head will kill the bacteria.
[00:10:03] and around their feet as well. So they're incredibly important. They, uh, stop disease spreading and clean up these, uh, dead and decaying critters all along the road in the wild. Even at some ranches, um, there are cattle that don't survive in the large condor tend to go in and help, uh, clean up there as well.
[00:10:24] Alex Re: Wow. That's really interesting. And somebody's got to do that dirty job that nobody else wants to do. And. Yeah. They're really important, even though they might gross us out a little bit.
[00:10:34] Peter Gros: Yeah, exactly. That's their job.
[00:10:36] Alex Re: Exactly. And they're also the largest birds in North America. Just how big can they get, and what are some of the benefits and drawbacks of being this big?
[00:10:47] Peter Gros: Well, they get to be around, I'm trying to think of one that I was holding, that was having its final vet check, was about 17 pounds. But they can get to be as much as 20. But when you look at a bird that has a nine and a half foot wingspan, you would think it would weigh a lot more than that, but their bones are hollow and the rest is mostly feathers.
[00:11:08] And when you're designed for flight, in their case, soaring, that's an appropriate weight. There are times after they've gorged themselves when they can't take off. They just weigh too much. They have to stand along the beach, say after feeding on a seal and wait for an onshore breeze face towards the breeze like an airplane taking off into the wind to get enough lift to take off and then soar again.
[00:11:35] Oftentimes you see them late in the morning waiting for the thermals as it heats up and the thermal start to rise. They simply lock their wings in place and take the thermal elevator up high enough to circle.
[00:11:47] Alex Re: That is so thermals, it's like a thermal current in the air that helps to lift them up.
[00:11:56] Peter Gros: Yes, hot air rises as it gets hotter during the day, these thermals are rising, and they take advantage of that to create lift.
[00:12:03] Alex Re: That is just amazing that they're able to do that.
[00:12:06] Peter Gros: Now you were wondering about the advantages of being large. Well, you don't have many predators when you're the largest bird. The downside is you need to eat five to six pounds of food in a sitting sometimes because it may be weeks and days before you even find food again.
[00:12:24] You're also large and easy to spot, and you are vulnerable to eating prey, or carrion I should say, that may be toxic. And part of the problem is, is that animals that are sometimes shot, that are vermin, were shot with lead. Lead is one of the largest problems for condors. They ingest it, it's in their crop, and the lead poisoning it, and it can kill them.
[00:12:47] The other thing about condors that people aren't aware of is that there are small pieces of shiny papers and gun wrappers and things that people discard when they're hiking and camping. Condors will ingest any small shiny object and again they get a blockage and that can kill them. So two very important things to know about this magnificent bird is that never use lead and when you're hiking pick up any small scraps of any trash you see along the way.
[00:13:15] Alex Re: Absolutely. And there's a reason why we stopped using lead in our paint because it's really harmful to your development and just your health in general.
[00:13:25] Peter Gros: Right. And there's a real movement to use copper. Copper bullets are now available. It's a substitute. It doesn't spread. And for people who believe in hunting or target shooting or skeet shooting, whatever they do, there are alternatives to using lead, so this problem is completely solvable.
[00:13:45] Alex Re: It's great to know that we already have the solutions to some of the problems that these birds are facing. Let's take a quick break, and when we get back, we'll learn more about how they've adapted to survive in the wild. Time for today's trivia question.
[00:14:11] What is the largest species of penguin?
[00:14:22] The answer is the emperor penguin.
[00:14:34] Now let's get back to the interview. Can you talk about some of the other adaptations that these condors have to help them survive in the wild?
[00:14:44] Peter Gros: Well, I think that what the greatest adaptation is their fact that they will communicate with each other. They roost together in groups. Uh, they stay in touch with each other as they're out looking for soaring and looking for carrion.
[00:15:00] And these long, long legs enable them to stand near each other. a carcass when they have to feed. As I mentioned, the beaks are shaped like a canoe, but they're also incredibly powerful. I don't know if you've ever been grabbed by, well, not many people have, but if you, if, if you've held a vulture and it needs to be treated and it tends to be able to reach around, they, they can grab the skin and then they sort, they sort of twist and that's how they'll, they'll break the surface.
[00:15:27] So, this is an adaptation that has served them very well. And then the fact that they can actually lock their wings in a position. When these thermals are rising and they're flying and they're circling during the day, they can get, pilots have spotted them as high as 15, 000 feet in the air. So, they're not burning a lot of calories, their wings are locked into place, they're taking all this lift from these magnificently huge wings.
[00:15:54] And as it cools off during the day, they gradually circle back down. They look for tall trees, uh, tall pine trees, redwood trees, and they all roost together at night in the protected area of these high trees so that predators can't get to them, like coyotes, for instance.
[00:16:11] Alex Re: Wow, that is really cool that they're even able to get that high.
[00:16:15] They can lock their wings into place and You don't really think of vultures as social animals, when you mention that they communicate with each other, you don't really think about vultures communicating, especially auditory communication.
[00:16:31] Peter Gros: You, you don't. And, and, especially the, the, the smaller version of their, their distant cousins.
[00:16:37] The small vultures not only make sounds to each other, they have, well there's not a nice way to describe it, they defend themselves by regurgitating food frequently. So, if you happen to have the misfortune of having a large group roosting near your house, or near some place in the morning, what you might find is a nice, white spattering.
[00:16:58] However, in nature, this is very important. Condors are reintroducing nitrates to the soil. So, as well as being nature's greatest cleanup committee, preventing disease, they're also flying around adding nitrates.
[00:17:13] Alex Re: Wow, that's great. And can you talk a little bit about the importance of nitrates? Why, why is that, uh, important for the ecosystem?
[00:17:21] Peter Gros: Well, it's a form of fertilization. It's, rather than having to add chemical nitrates and turn the soil, for instance, another way, if you planted, say, mustard, people in the wine business will turn the mustard into the ground to replace the depleted soil, which is full of nitrates. Birds of prey do that naturally, so it's done the way it's supposed to happen in nature. Not that there's anything wrong with growing mustard, by the way.
[00:17:47] Alex Re: Yeah, absolutely. And are there any other reasons why condors are so important to the ecosystems that they live in?
[00:17:56] Peter Gros: Well, it's hard to specifically pick out reasons. What I like to point out to people is that all things in nature are connected.
[00:18:05] All animals are important. We just can't decide, gee, if we lose a species, that's okay, there'll be others. Every living species on this planet has a purpose, from the tiniest reptile to the largest bird of prey in the world. It's, I was talking to somebody yesterday about the, the loss of the wolves in Yellowstone Park, and they were introduced.
[00:18:28] And before they were introduced, the ungulate, excuse me, the elk populations became huge. The elk populations were grazing down the aspen groves and the grasses and the cover that so many other species need, even the beavers that needed the aspen and the sawtooth to build dams. So if the beavers don't have the wood that the ungulates have eaten, which wouldn't have been so many if we hadn't lost the wolves, then we don't have ponds for hundreds of thousands of species of animals to use these ponds to hatch and lay eggs and beavers to have homes.
[00:19:00] So it's all connected. So even though each individual species has things that it's highlighted for, every one of them is equally as important.
[00:19:10] Alex Re: Absolutely. I think I couldn't have said it better myself. It's really like a domino effect. Losing one species causes an entire chain of events that we may not have even thought of before we lost them.
[00:19:24] Peter Gros: Yes. And to complete that story, to end on a more positive note, the wolves were reintroduced from Canada. They have done very well. Their numbers are growing. If you actually go there in the winter and they have tours, They're much easier to see against the snow. You can actually see them off in the distance and get to experience whether binoculars or your long lens, this completely successful reintroduction program of one of our most endangered species of animals.
[00:19:54] Alex Re: Wow. That is really amazing.
[00:19:56] Peter Gros: Not unlike the condor.
[00:19:58] Alex Re: Absolutely. And, and can you talk a little bit more about some of the challenges that California condors are facing?
[00:20:05] Peter Gros: The early challenges were people didn't understand what they were, and they actually thought of them as targets. There was problem, there was a problem with chemicals that people used to drain their cars in their fields on rural property, which would, other animals would drink, and then they would end up eating it, carry it, and then be exposed to that.
[00:20:26] The biggest problem was that so many, they're vermin to a lot of people, large landowners. It was something that was a pest to them. And they would be shot, and then along comes the condor and eats it. And then the condor, as we mentioned earlier, gets the lead poisoning. So, the other thing is space. They need space.
[00:20:44] These animals need miles and miles of space. So gradually, We've set a more, set aside more lands, like the, near the Big Sur area in Northern California, the Ventana area. You can drive up Route 1 now, near Von Kenna, and in the, on a warm day, see these condors circling overhead that were reintroduced? And they circle over, and it's so close that you can read the numbers on their wings.
[00:21:10] and get a good look at the success of this program. In the Cespe Canyon area, there's a condor sanctuary set aside southern California near the Fillmore area. Condors are back there in parts of Mexico and Arizona. They've simply established more areas as condor habitat. Which of course other wildlife will use as well to preserve these species.
[00:21:33] Alex Re: Yeah, that that's really great. And I was just about to ask you, because at one point they were declared extinct in the wild. So what were some of the other conservation efforts that allowed them to survive and be reintroduced? And maybe, can you talk about some of the work that you've done specifically to help them?
[00:21:54] Peter Gros: Well, the other, the hardest decision of all was when they were, it was determined the last nesting sites, there were about 22 left. Not, not about, I think that's the exact number, 22. The Department of Interior, uh, worked with Fish and Wildlife Service and made the decision, they had no other choice than to trap these birds and distribute them in different locations.
[00:22:18] Uh, Like the Oregon Zoo, the Los Angeles Zoo, the San Diego Zoo, um, just to name a few off the top of my head, the Santa Barbara Zoo has them. And they started hatching them out at zoos. Um, typically in the wild they have one egg every two years on a rocky cliff someplace. They were able to do it in the famous story about raising young condors with puppets that look like mom.
[00:22:45] So when the first thing they saw after pipping out of the egg wasn't a human being, because an animal that has no fear of humans back in the wild is a problem. So they carefully raised them with puppets that looked just like the mother condor. Eventually they got to be strong enough and old enough and then They have, matter of fact, there's one now that I believe is at the Los Angeles Zoo that's almost 50 years old.
[00:23:11] Wow. So these are birds, typically they can live to be 60 years old. So they, as the population grew and they determined they were strong enough, they wanted to start reintroducing them. The Yurok tribe knew that condors used to be in the Pacific Northwest. They spent time talking to the Fish and Wildlife Service and convinced them That they were very connected to the Yurok tribes over the years.
[00:23:36] And they, great cultural value to them, and they convinced them that we could try to have condors here, raise them, and release them back to the wild. That redwood section along the coast is perfect habitat for them. So over many years of birds being raised, taken to that area of the Redwood National State Park, I happened to be there as they released him.
[00:24:02] And it was an incredible thing. It's a, it's a soft release. There. eating, feeding well on their own. They're eating all the food that they would be in the wild. They simply open the door and you're sitting there out of sight with your camera, waiting for this condor to decide it's time to go out and be free again.
[00:24:24] After many, many hours of doing that, they Some reluctantly do, walk to the 8, and then out they go, and back off, sorry, and it's Instinctively, they know exactly what to do. Once they get above the redwoods, they can see the coastline, they'll be able to see other condors. Some of these condors may feed on inland animals, deer, opossum, skunks, that sort of thing, that have died.
[00:24:48] Others will go down along the coast and look for seals that have died on the beach. So, as cleanup committee, they're covering both sea and inland, inland areas, and it was a successful release, also near the Cespe area. My only real involvement was to be able to assist in this bird I mentioned earlier, this very healthy 17 pound bird that I held around the beak, who, I looked him right in the eye and I told him, I still think he was looking at me right in the eye.
[00:25:20] And, and they put a little telemetry on them so they can keep track of them, and they check the feathers, and check blood, and do a perfect health check when it's ready to go. And it was the most exciting thing I've done in a very long time, was to go face into the wind, stand out there facing the area where there used to be nesting condors set him down and watch him just fly free again. It was incredible.
[00:25:46] Alex Re: That, that does sound incredible and really just something that few people can ever say that they've done.
[00:25:53] Peter Gros: It is. It is. And, and uh, it's an experience one never forgets. And the nice thing is to know that it's happening over and over again and that condors are now laying eggs and reproducing and raising their own in the wild.
[00:26:07] So this reintroduction program is a success. And they are no longer officially extinct. We, we have filmed on, on our new series, Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, Protecting the Wild, which I might mention is on NBC where it started on Saturday mornings in the. The more you know, Window, is that we're talking about other animals, like the black footed ferret, that was thought to be extinct.
[00:26:35] There are other animals, like the eagle. Remember our bald eagle, due to DDT, almost completely disappeared. They have come off the endangered species list. So many birds of prey, like the peregrine falcon. Fastest bird in the world almost disappeared through a reintroduction in captive breeding. It's doing well again in the wild.
[00:26:55] So this whole first year, and as we start season two, we're talking about successful conservation stories. I think this generation. Knows an awful lot about the problems we have. Now we need to point out that we've always had problems when it comes to conservation in recent past history. However, we find out how to stop them.
[00:27:17] We solve them. We reintroduce wildlife. We change our human behavior, which is affecting conservation in a negative way. And hopefully, create some hope so this next generation will want to become as involved as conservation. As they can by showing them, yes, indeed. Some of the problems seem insurmountable, but they aren't. We can solve them and we can save remaining wildlife.
[00:27:42] Alex Re: I think it's so important to give people that hope and tell people that it's not hopeless to get into this profession and, uh, know that they can really actually make a difference for well after they're gone off this earth. And it must be such an interesting experience to be on this show for so long and see the changing populations of, of different animals.
[00:28:07] animals becoming extinct in the wild and then becoming un extinct in the wild, so it's got to be so interesting to have done that.
[00:28:16] Peter Gros: It is, and it has been, and it continues to be. Um, the manner in which originally filmed with huge cameras and having to hide in camouflaged areas near watering holes and wait for animals to come in, which could be all day long to get a drink in the evening and get wide long distance shots of sections of say the Namibia desert in Africa would be done from a helicopter.
[00:28:41] Having to sneak and get close to wildlife to get close ups and oftentimes they were watching you before you got to near them and they weren't there. With today's technology with drones and these incredible long lenses we and cameras that are near trails that animals generally use. motion sensing cameras that send an immediate signal to a satellite and back to your laptop.
[00:29:06] So we get to observe an awful lot of natural behavior. The way it was done in the 70s and 80s, well, that's the way research was done in those days. And so I've been able to see a sort of the Link between early wildlife studies to modern day studies, the progress that has been made due to today's technology, which makes it so much easier, so much more thorough and so incredibly educational to see wildlife when it doesn't even know it's being filmed in some cases.
[00:29:37] Alex Re: That is so cool. And I hope that it keeps getting better and, and that it's easier and easier to study these animals without encroaching in their habitats.
[00:29:46] Peter Gros: I think it will. You know, as technology is changing so quickly. And we're learning so fast. Just a couple of days ago, actually last week, I was in Texas filming these rare scimitar horned oryx, and these oryx were extinct in the wild.
[00:30:03] And they're being raised at zoos and parks and doing quite well, and they're being taken all the way back to Central Africa, to Abu Dhabi, and there's a nice herd growing there again. They had been completely extinct, and they're doing well, and they're spread out in a captive situation. And so more and more can gradually be reintroduced.
[00:30:24] Alex Re: That's really cool. And what can the average person do to help with California condors conservation?
[00:30:31] Peter Gros: I think that what the average person could do is when you make a sighting, record it, take pictures of it, share the knowledge with people. As you're hiking and backpacking, I can't reiterate enough.
[00:30:43] You know, pick up any small, a flip top, a piece, a gum wrapper, a cigarette butt, and a piece of string. Anything that has been dropped by a human, They had to do with a hiker or a camper is an attraction. Pick up as much trash as you can. When I like to go hiking with my sons, I take small bags and we see if we can fill them when we come back.
[00:31:05] The good news is, is there's, people are becoming very aware of this, there's less and less to be picked up, so it's a little more challenging to do that.
[00:31:14] Alex Re: That's great, and that's a great idea, I never thought about that, bringing your own bags to hold trash that you find on the way.
[00:31:23] Peter Gros: It is indeed, absolutely.
[00:31:24] Alex Re: Yeah, great. Well, Peter, that's all the questions I had. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast and sharing your knowledge with us. I really enjoyed hearing all of your stories and all that you know about condors.
[00:31:37] Peter Gros: Well, keep up all the great work you're doing. I love the fact that you're teaching so many young people about the natural world.
[00:31:44] And if you get the opportunity to, when you're talking to parents or any adult friends, as early as you can. Introduce young people to the natural world. Take them hiking, take them camping, take them walking. Um, if they're too small to hold your hand when you're walking. Put them in your backpack or your front pack.
[00:32:04] The earlier we introduce the young people to the natural world, the more time we spend in nature with them, the more they're going to want to do to want to preserve it.
[00:32:11] Alex Re: That's such great advice. I couldn't agree more. And I know I got my start caring about wildlife just by going in my backyard. looking under rocks for salamanders and, and roly polies and things like that.
[00:32:26] So I think that's such great advice for anybody out there who has children or interacts with small children.
[00:32:34] Peter Gros: Absolutely. Well, great talking to you and keep it up.
[00:32:38] Alex Re: Thank you. I'm so happy that I had the opportunity to talk with Peter about California condors and his experiences working in wildlife conservation.
[00:32:48] It was really cool to get his perspective on how conservation has changed over the course of his career. And California condors are such amazing birds with so many interesting adaptations that help them survive in their habitat. And we almost lost them completely due to our own actions. Luckily, things are looking up for them, but they still need our help, which is why you should check out these three organizations.
[00:33:13] Friends of California Condors Wild and Free, Ventana Wildlife Society, And the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which has the California Condor Recovery Program. Thank you so much for coming on this adventure with me as we explored the world of California condors. You can find the sources that we use for this podcast and links to organizations that we reference at onwildlife.org.
[00:33:39] You can also email us with any questions at onwildlife.podcast@gmail.com, and you can follow us on Instagram at On_Wildlife or on TikTok at On Wildlife. And don't forget to tune in next month for another awesome episode. And that's On Wildlife.
[00:34:03] Jess Avellino: You've been listening to on wildlife with Alex Re. On Wildlife provides general educational information on various topics as a public service, which should not be construed as professional, financial, real estate, or business. tax or legal advice. These are our personal opinions only. Please refer to our full disclaimer policy on our website for full details.
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