Connect to share and comment  FEATURE-As Andean condors decline,
tradition draws critics  Thomson ReutersEnlarge  By Mitra Taj
LIMA, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Strapping a giant condor to the back of
a raging bull is a central part of an Andean festival celebrated
in Peru but some people worried about the endangered vulture's
future say it is time to ban the tradition.  A bill introduced
to Congress this month aims to slow what scientists and
ecologists describe as a worrisome drop-off in Peru's population
of the Andean Condor, one of the world's biggest flying birds.
Condors, which use their 10-foot (3-meter) wingspan to ride
rising warm air currents for hours without stopping, have been a
prominent part of culture in the Andes for millennia.  The bill,
presented by a legislator and backed by local officials in a
province famous for its condors, would start a conservation
program, declare the condor a national treasure and set jail
sentences of 3-5 years for capturing or killing the birds.  It
specifically targets