Captured Condor a Female; First Mating Possible
Blood tests on a captured California condor have determined the bird is female, giving biologists working to save the vanishing species their first possible mating couple, officials said Monday.
Only seven of the carrion-eating birds are known to exist in the wild. But biologists hope to save the species by breeding them in captivity.
The female condor was brought to the San Diego Wild Animal Park after being captured last week in northern Los Angeles County.
The female condor has been placed in an enclosure with a young adult male captured in the same area last June, park spokeswoman Martha Baker said. The birds had been seen flying together in the wild before their capture, she said.
“The two have been seen touching beaks since they were put together,” Baker said. “That doesn’t guarantee that things will go any further, but we’re hoping.”
Condor eggs have been successfully hatched after being retrieved from the wild and artificially incubated.
Eighteen condors are in captivity at the animal park and at the Los Angeles Zoo.
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