‘Simply a miracle.’ 2 California condor chicks found alive in path of Dolan Fire
Two missing California condor chicks were found alive Wednesday after biologists scoured the area burned by the Dolan Fire near Big Sur.
The wildfire had grown to 31,409 acres and was 40% contained as of Thursday morning, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
According to Ventana Wildlife Society biologists Joe Burnett and Darren Gross, the flames came just 10 feet of a condor nest occupied by a condor chick named Iniko.
“We were not optimistic as we hiked through the fire’s devastation,” Burnett said Thursday in a Ventana Wildlife Society newsletter. “To find Iniko alive and well is simply a miracle.”
In a Aug. 26 post, the Ventana Wildlife Society released a video of Iniko flapping its wings as the flames advanced before the camera feed cut out.
“The Dolan Fire in Big Sur, California, burned through the condor sanctuary jeopardizing the Ventana Wildlife Society’s recovery effort,” the post said, adding that two live cameras operated by Explore.org “recorded the devastation.”
“The nest cam, where baby condor Iniko is being raised by wild parents Redwood Queen and Kingpin, was lost on the evening of August 20, 2020, and the Sanctuary Cam, with an overview of the release area, was burned over at around 3:45 a.m. on the 21st,” the Facebook post read.
“Our release pen was engulfed in flames just before the feed cut out,” the nonprofit said Facebook. “As condors and their chicks have survived wildfire in the past, there is still hope for Iniko and the others. Once it is clear, we will rebuild as nothing will get in our way of restoring this magnificent species back to nature!”
Along with Iniko, an unnamed female condor chick that was in a cliff cavity near the advancing flames had also been found alive as of Thursday morning, according to the Ventana Wildlife Society.
The 4-month-old chick was saved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Pinnacles National Park’s field team and delivered to a temporary home at the Los Angeles Zoo, the newsletter said.
The chill will remain at the zoo for a year until she is ready to be reunited with her flock, according to the newsletter.
Last week, a condor named Shadow was also found alive by biologists at PInnacles National Park.
Eleven condors — two chicks and nine adults and sub-adults— at the facility remain missing, the Ventana Wildlife Society said.
As biologists continue their search for the missing endangered birds, the nonprofit organization continues to raise money to rebuild the condor sanctuary. Its goal is to raise $500,000, Thursday’s newsletter said.
Dolan Fire containment increases ahead of heat wave
Activity on the Dolan Fire remained minimal overnight, with the wildfire growing about 400 acres since Wednesday morning, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Most of the new fire activity occurred near the Cone Peak area on the east and south ends of the fire.
The Partington area on the north end of the fire near Big Sur was no longer under an evacuation order Wednesday morning, but a warning remained in place.
Evacuation orders continued for the Dolan Ridge, Lucia and Prewitt Ridge areas, the emergency services department tweeted.
Highway 1 also remained closed Wednesday from Gorda to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, according to Caltrans.
The fire, which is believed to have been started on Aug. 18 by arson, was 40% contained as of Thursday morning, an increase from 35% containment reported Wednesday morning.
Containment crews were expected to work on bolstering containment lines within the Lucia and Hermitage areas and building lines north of the Naciemento-Ferguson Road and along the road to Cone Peak.
According to the U.S. Forest Service, a heat wave forecast for Friday through Monday is expected to bring 90-degree temperatures and low humidity. Firefighters anticipate that the heat will increase fire behavior.
This story was originally published September 3, 2020 at 12:13 PM.
