As if life weren’t hard enough on the Andean condor, local authorities here have taken shots at a project to return the endangered bird to Venezuela. The condor, symbol of might and magic for indigenous civilizations from southern Mexico to Argentina, has been targeted since colonial times in the mistaken belief that it kills livestock. The bird was declared extinct in Venezuela in 1965. But in this case, the condor has flown into the sights of local politicians who consider the bird a symbol of a national park system that they believe obstructs local development. Alfonso Isaac León Avendao, the top aide to the governor of Mérida State, and Avelino Villarreal, the mayor of the Rangel municipality, organized opposition that recently spawned a protest in... [Log in to read more]