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SIX MORE ENDANGERED CALIFORNIA CONDORS
TO BE RELEASED IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
MATING OF RELEASED CAPTIVE BORN CONDORS DOCUMENTED
On May 22, 2001, six juvenile condors will be released to the
wild, joining 28 other formerly captive condors already flying
free in the mountains of California. The release will be done
by staff from the Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex,
field headquarters for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's
California Condor Recovery Program.
The six condors will be released from a simulated-cave holding
pen, deep within the Sespe Condor Sanctuary near Fillmore, California.
The birds have been held in a field pen for four months so they
could become familiar with their surroundings and the free-flying
condors before release. The pen has an attached aviary structure
that allows short flights and provides extensive views over
the rugged terrain. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists will
remove the attached aviary the night before the release to allow
the condors to fly free the next day.
Four of the six juvenile condors scheduled to be released were
hatched at the San Diego Wild Animal Park; the other two were
hatched at the Los Angeles Zoo's captive breeding facility.
Five of the birds are approximately one year old and the sixth
bird is about two years old. While in captivity, they spent
time in flight pens, practicing their flight skills and learning
to feed on animal carcasses. The six young birds shared their
flight pens with older captive birds so they could gain experience
competing with older birds for food.
Six of the 28 California condors currently in the wild in California
are now of breeding age and Service biologists have observed
courtship displays among several of these older birds. These
courtship displays culminated in the pair bonding of two pairs
of condors this spring. Both of these pairs exhibited behavior
that suggests that they are tending an egg. One of these pairs
has recently discontinued nesting behavior, leading biologists
to believe that at least one of the potential eggs was not viable.
The nesting results from the other pair of birds are still unknown.
It is not unusual for the first breeding cycles to be unsuccessful.
According to Mike Spear, Operations Manager of the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service California/Nevada Operations Office, "the
fact that captive bred condors mated for the first time in the
wild this year gives us hope that we may see wild born condors
in the near future".
Condors are scavenger birds that soared over the Southern California
mountains and other areas since prehistoric times but their
numbers plummeted in the 20th century. The causes of their decline
are not completely known but lead poisoning is believed to be
among the factors. Condors were listed as an endangered species
in 1967, under a law that predated the existing Endangered Species
Act. In 1982, the condor population reached its lowest level
of 22, prompting Service biologists to start collecting condor
chicks and eggs for a captive breeding program. By late 1984,
only 15 condors remained in the wild and six of them died within
a short period, several from lead poisoning. Lead poisoning
occurs after scavenging birds such as condors, turkey vultures,
golden eagles and bald eagles eat the meat of dead animals that
contain lead fragments from bullets.
The goal of the California Condor Recovery Plan is to establish
two geographically separate populations, one in California and
the other in Arizona, each with 150 birds and at least 15 breeding
pairs.
Press Information,
Photos and Video Tape Available to News Media
Because of the remoteness
of the release sight, direct viewing of the release is limited
and difficult. It is possible to view the release from a distant
location and those members of the Press interested in attending
should call this office for details. Press information will
be available the day after the release starting at 9:00 a.m.
at the Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex, 2493
Portola Road, Suite A, Ventura, CA. There will be opportunities
to interview Condor Recovery Program biologists at this time.
Footage and still photos of the release will be available.
Note: There will
be an alternate schedule in case of weather delays. Please verify
with this office immediately prior to the release day.
For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
visit our home page at http://www.fws.gov
The U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible
for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and
plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the
American people. The Service manages the 94-million-acre National
Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 535 national
wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special
management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries,
64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field
stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers
the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations,
restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores
wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments
with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal
Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars
in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish
and wildlife agencies.
- FWS -
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