Condor Hatched in Wild Is Killed

The first California condor chick to hatch in the wild in 17 years was found dead at the bottom of a Santa Barbara County cliff this week, apparently killed by an adult condor.

Biologists involved in the $25-million condor breeding and rescue program characterized the chick’s death as a bump in a long road toward bringing one of the world’s rarest birds back to the wild. They said they were disappointed that the bird’s parents were unable to protect it.

“We were certainly hoping they would have been able to raise this chick,” said Susie Kasielke, curator of birds at the Los Angeles Zoo, where captive condors are raised. “But not every bird makes it to fledgling, especially during the first breeding attempt.”

A biologist found the condor chick in a remote area of the Los Padres National Forest on Monday with two deep gashes in its head and neck that appeared to be condor bite marks. Biologists believe that the chick’s mother left the bird unattended, and another female condor that had laid an egg in the same nest returned and killed the chick.

The birds’ two eggs were discovered in the forest last month by biologists. They were the first condor eggs found intact in the wild in California since the condor captive-breeding program began 15 years ago.

One of the eggs died. And biologists, concerned that the birds were not properly nesting on the other egg, replaced it with an artificial one. The egg was hatched in captivity 10 days ago and is doing well, Kasielke said.

Meanwhile, the artificial egg in the nest was eventually replaced with an egg laid in captivity and hatched several days ago. Biologists believe that one of the female condors that missed the hatching killed the chick in confusion.

The two female condors will have to wait another year to breed. But biologists hope that at least one of the condors has learned something from the experience.

“The first female has been through the process and did it right,” said Greg Austin, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “When she does it again, she’ll know what to expect.”

The chick’s death is the latest in a costly and sometimes criticized program that has seen many of the rare birds die in the wild. Since the condor release program began nine years ago, about 40 birds have died, including five from crashing into power lines and one from drinking antifreeze.

Most of the money for the condor recovery program, about 60% of which comes from private funds, has gone to raising them in captivity and teaching them to live in the wild. As of June 1, there were 128 birds in captivity and 56 condors in the wild.

At least one observer said Wednesday that the death should not be viewed as a setback for the condor recovery program.

“My gut feeling is all these setbacks are anticipated, and can be overcome,” said Kimball Garrett, ornithology collections manager at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. “Young, inexperienced birds botch things. It’s pretty typical.”

He pointed out that biologists have learned from other condor deaths and have successfully taught the birds to avoid certain hazards in the wild.

“The problem is not how much we’re spending on condors,” he said. “It’s how much we’re not spending on every other environmental issue.”