Wednesday Windmill: Chuck the Condor raises awareness

     Earlier this week, the Los Angeles Clippers unveiled their mascot Chuck the Condor, who is a lovable tribute of sorts to the critically endangered California Condor. As a matter of fact, the California Condor went extinct in the wild in the late 1980s and all remaining California Condors were captured so as to keep the species on life support.

     While California Condors still exist, they are very small in number, with less than 500 existing worldwide. Of the existing California Condor population, only half of them exist in the wild via efforts to reintroduce the species back into the wild. It's a miracle that they still exist and that young children across the Western United States are still able to see these magnificent birds feast upon a dead possum or squirrel that has been blindsided by a truck speeding down a highway in the middle of nowhere.

     I think it's great that the Los Angeles Clippers recognize this miracle and have chosen to increase awareness of the California Condor through the conception of Chuck the Condor who suddenly makes Condors hip and cool. Let's be honest, if it wasn't for Chuck the Condor, what press would the California Condor have gotten this week or this year, even? When does the California Condor ever get any media attention? The answer is never.

     So, while it is true that on the surface Chuck the Condor appears to be a silly mascot, in truth, he acts as a spokesman or representative of sorts for all California Condors who can't speak for themselves due to the fact that they are real birds and not birds who have been enhanced by personification.

     Hopefully, Chuck the Condor will raise increased awareness for the California Condor species and motivate more people to do what they can to help this species stay on this earth for very long time. The California Condor is an important part of California's history and it's great to see the Los Angeles Clippers use their Southern California brand as a vehicle to promote something positive like helping out an endangered species.

Note: If you want to learn more about the California Condor, click here