Condor Recaptured for Heart Murmur Treatment

One of the five California condors released into the Ventana Wilderness has been recaptured and treated for a heart murmur, a condition that could prevent it from being re-released.

Kelly Sorenson of the Ventana Wilderness Sanctuary recovered the condor last week after the bird was found dehydrated and lethargic in its perch on a cliff.

In a dramatic rescue, members of the Big Sur Volunteer Fire Brigade lowered Sorenson about 450 feet down the cliff on a rope at night to retrieve the bird.

“They’re pulling me up and I’m losing my footing, falling on the ground, trying to stick out my elbows to not crush the bird,” Sorenson told the Monterey County Herald.

“And he’s biting me on the shoulders. Once he almost bit me on the face, and twice I only had his leg and he was flapping like crazy. Meanwhile they’re dragging me up the hill through the poison oak.”

Upon examination, the condor was found to be underweight. It was given antibiotics and has been returned to a rearing pen in the Ventana Wilderness, where all five birds were kept before being released in mid-December.

Two of the condors have drowned, one was nearly killed by lead poisoning and one was shot in the leg. In 1982, only 21 California condors were left worldwide. Since then, their number has increased, and 67 condors have been released. However, 14 had to be returned to captivity because of behavioral problems.