Two more California condors were scheduled to arrive today at
the Pinnacles National Monument in a long-term effort to foster a
sustained population of 20 at the park.
Two more California condors were scheduled to arrive today at the Pinnacles National Monument in a long-term effort to foster a sustained population of 20 at the park.
The two arriving this morning, bred at the San Diego Wild Animal Park, were picked up by Pinnacles biologists Wednesday. Their most recent location was Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge in Ventura County.
“We’re excited to be continuing the reintroduction of condors into the park,” said Carl Brenner, Pinnacles ranger supervisor.
Arrival of the two birds didn’t include the same spectacle as when the first group of six condors came in October, according to Brenner.
Another four condors from the Los Angeles Zoo should arrive in the next couple of weeks.
Depending on the whereabouts of the six free-flying condors, officials had not decided by Wednesday whether to place the two newcomers in the mesh pen.
Biologists want to avoid human contact with the existing condors, Brenner said, which are still in the Grassy Canyon area of the park.
“All human contact should be at a complete minimum,” Brenner said.
The first crew of six condors were nurtured in the park’s pen for three months. The six arriving this month will likely stay in the pen longer – possibly until September or October, Brenner said.
Biologists want to avoid interfering with other bird species’ – such as golden eagles and hawks – during that time of year when their eggs hatch and young birds leave the nest.
The Ventana Wilderness Society and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have coordinated with Pinnacles on the project for two years.
The scavenger species has been on the Endangered Species list since 1967. Its population declined in the 1890s and hit a low point of 22 in 1982. There are now more than 220 in the world.
