Three California condor chicks have hatched in the back country of southern California in Ventura County. The first of the chicks to emerge from its shell was reported by observers on Friday, April 9; the second chick on Easter Sunday, April 11; and the third chick on Thursday, April 22. The parents of the chicks have varied backgrounds. Two of the females were released in Big Sur, and while most of the Big Sur birds travel back and forth between southern and central California, these two have stayed for more than three years. One of the males is 24 year old, AC9 who was the last wild condor brought in from the wild in 1987 and after fifteen years in the captive breeding program he was released back into the wild 01 May 2002. AC9 was captured on Easter Sunday in 1987 and his first chick since being released, was hatched on Easter Sunday.
"To have an original wild condor reproducing again in the wild after 17 years is very gratifying, we have come full circle. When this same bird was captured in 1987, and no California condors soared free, we faced an uncertain future." statedSteve Thompson, Manager of the US Fish and Wildlife Service
