FreeLists / tn-bird / [tn-bird] Last Wild-Caught Condor Released

["Troy Ettel" <Troy.Ettel@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

VENTURA COUNTY
Last Captured Condor Freed After 15 Years

Conservation: Known as AC9, the bird is returned to his original home in =
Los Padres National Forest. Scientists hope his experience in the wild =
will help young condors.

Last Captured Condor Freed After 15 Years
=20
By DAVID KELLY, TIMES STAFF WRITER


Against a majestic panorama of plunging valleys and knife-edged mountains, =
the last California condor captured in the wild spread his 9-foot wings =
and soared off a remote cliff in Los Padres National Forest on Wednesday, =
15 years after being trapped as part of an ambitious plan to save the =
species from extinction.

The 22-year-old bird, known as AC9 or Adult Condor 9, initially had =
problems getting out of the cage holding him and three juvenile condors.

The younger birds made it look easy, flying out and over the cliff-face =
and thrilling the more than 100 observers on a nearby ridge. But two hours =
later AC9 remained baffled, so biologists shoved him out the door. In =
moments, the enormous bird was airborne over his home territory. He sped =
along the cliffs some 4,000 feet above the green, undulating floor of the =
Sespe Condor Sanctuary just north of the town of Fillmore. Other condors =
wheeled and glided nearby, casting black silhouettes against the sun.

"This is the biggest release we have had and the most meaningful," said =
Bruce Palmer, who coordinates the $35-million condor program for the U.S. =
Fish and Wildlife Service. "We've come full circle. We've turned the =
corner in reintroducing these animals to the wild."

With AC9's release, there are now 68 California condors in the wild, split =
among Los Padres National Forest, Big Sur and the Grand Canyon. Another 16 =
are in field pens and 113 remain in captivity.

For many, the release was an emotional moment, one symbolizing both the =
success of the condor program and the dangers awaiting North America's =
largest birds as they face a world fraught with increasing danger.

John Borneman, who once worked for the National Audubon Society, recalled =
his mixed feelings when AC9 was taken.

"When he was captured in the wild--the last bird--I closed the door to my =
office and cried," he said.

The condor captive breeding program began in 1985. With extinction =
imminent, condors were taken from the wild, bred in captivity and, =
starting in 1992, released back into nature. The goal is to develop condor =
populations of 150 or more--including 15 breeding pairs--in California and =
Arizona.

But as the birds are reintroduced to the wild they face new threats. =
Condors have died from eating bullets, they have been electrocuted on =
power lines and they have killed their chicks because they lack parenting =
skills. Last week an adult male condor dipped his head in oil, came back =
to the nest and smudged his chick. Scientists were initially concerned, =
but now say neither animal has oil on it.

"AC9 will be less likely to get into trouble in the wild because he's been =
there," predicted Mike Clark, who has taken care of the condor for 13 =
years as a keeper at the Los Angeles Zoo. "He's a solid, robust dominant =
male. He's the archetypal condor." He's 'Joe Bird.' It's going to be =
strange to go to work and not see him."

Biologists hope the bird will be a mentor and role model for the highly =
imitative, captive-bred condors who have grown up without parents and need =
to learn crucial survival skills.

"He's out here for a job to take care of these young punks," laughed Mike =
Wallace, who heads the Condor Recovery Team from his base at the San Diego =
Zoo. "Young birds follow the adults."

Recently, the first condor egg laid and brooded in the wild in 18 years =
hatched in Los Padres National Forest. Two other condor nests have been =
found in the area. Both have eggs and one could hatch within two weeks, =
biologists said.

There is also the hope that AC9 and his former mate, AC8, could meet and =
rekindle their old romance, producing a chick. Last year, AC8 was freed =
near the spot where AC9 was released.

Many of those who drove up the steep mountain road and then hiked out to =
watch the release have long histories with condors.

Jan Hamber, 72, a condor biologist, spotted AC9 one day before his capture =
while he was feeding on a carcass.

"I knew he would come back the next day," said Hamber, who runs the Condor =
Information System at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. "I =
reluctantly called the Fish and Wildlife people. Even though I knew he had =
to be caught, I didn't want to see him trapped. It's incredible that he's =
back out. It's a wonderful feeling."

As AC9 was about to leave the pen, Adelina Alva-Padilla, spiritual leader =
of the Santa Ynez Valley Chumash Indians, blessed the release.

She has attended three condor releases, wearing a red headband and =
carrying a staff covered with carved bears and turtles.

"So many things on Earth are diminishing," she said. "The waters and =
rivers are drying up and even the seasons are changing. So I pray for his =
safety, for him to do well and for him to survive."=20



Troy Ettel
State Ornithologist
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
P.O. Box 40747
Nashville, TN 37204
(615) 781-6653
Troy.Ettel@xxxxxxxxxxx
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