A pair of endangered California condors at Pinnacles National Monument that were nesting an egg now are caring for a hatched chick after biologists swapped it with another one from the L.A. Zoo to enhance possible breeding success, according to a press release from Pinnacles.
The chick successfully hatched in a shallow cave along a cliff at the RS Bar Guest Ranch in Paicines on April 18, a day after two biologists used ropes to descend to the nest for the swap.
Since biologists had not known if the original egg was viable, the move “enhanced the pair’s chances for breeding success,” according to a press release from Pinnacles Partnership, the nonprofit that assists the park. Since moving it to the LA Zoo, biologists have determined there are no problems with the egg that first nested near Pinnacles.
Condor recovery experts recommended transporting wild, laid eggs to captive breeding centers for hatching to assess potential contamination of the eggs by DDE and PCBs, said Joe Burnett, a Ventana Wilderness Society biologist, in the press release.
For more on this story, see The Weekend Pinnacle on Friday.
