Felipe was rescued in the province of Napo, in the Amazon, about a month ago. The condor’s natural habitat in Ecuador are the Andes highlands. He was found undernourished and with muscle loss.

He was taken first to the veterinarians at the San Francisco University of Quito (USFQ), before being transferred to a wildlife rescue centre in Cotopaxi.

By July 23, Felipe was finally healthy enough to be released, near the La Mica lake and the Antisana volcano in Pichincha. A GPS tracker was implanted on him, so researchers can follow his progress. He’s the first Ecuadorian condor to carry one of of these devices.

Hernán Vargas, from a Grupo Condor, a conservation group, says having the data from Felip will help know where the local condors nest, rest and how much they fly during the day.

Felipe was also outfitted with wing bands bearing the number “1”, so he can be spotted and identified from afar.

Original story