9 California condors died in Dolan Fire. Juvenile birds will soon join survivors

The Dolan Fire’s fast-moving flames roared through the Big Sur condor sanctuary on Aug. 21, killing nine California condors.

A September search of the scorched sanctuary revealed that two of five missing condor chicks (No. 1022 and No. 1029) are now known to have perished.

Miraculously, three chicks did survive the inferno, including Iniko (No. 1033).

Meanwhile, on the positive side of the condor story, a cohort of nine previously unreleased juvenile condors will be flying free by late December — in effect replacing the nine birds who perished.

Joe Burnett, lead biologist for the Ventana Wildlife Society (VWS), revealed that the nine juveniles — raised in captivity at the San Diego Wild Animal Park — arrived at Pinnacles National Park on Sept. 15.

Burnett said seven of those juveniles will be transported to a large holding pen above San Simeon in early October and two will be released at Pinnacles.

“We hope to start releasing these condors by early November and have all the birds out by Christmas,” Burnett explained.

In an email interview, Burnett wrote that it’s coincidental that the nine arriving juveniles match the number of birds lost in the fire.

The upcoming release of the nine juvenile birds had been planned well before the ferocious Dolan Fire, which began on Aug. 18 and has burned more than 127,000 acres.

Juveniles are fully grown and have black heads, but they won’t have the red-to-orange colored heads or mate until they reach maturity at 5 or 6 years of age.

San Simeon flock

A total of 28 California condors — enormous, critically endangered birds with 9½-foot wingspans — have been released from the mountains high above San Simeon since 2016.

Of that flock, 23 remain alive in the wild, two died of lead poisoning, another died from “unknown sources” and two expired in the Dolan Fire, according to Burnett.

The two San Simeon-released juvenile condors lost in the Dolan Fire in August, both females, were Tonks (No. 875) and Electra (No. 678).

Electra, who was hatched in captivity at the Los Angeles Zoo on March 9, 2013, was released on November 10, 2016.

Tonks was hatched on April 29, 2017, and raised at the World Center for Birds of Prey (WCBP) in Boise, Idaho. She was released from the San Simeon mountains on Dec. 7, 2018.

Unpaired at the time of her demise, Tonks was named after a prominent character in the Harry Potter series.

She was not the most graceful condor while awaiting release from San Simeon, her VWS biography points out. “But she made up for it with enthusiasm.”

Electra, named after Amelia Earhart’s famous airplane, was considered “bold and adventurous,” and preferred Pinnacles as habitat. Indeed, she was often seen soaring there with her partner, No. 700.

Condors impacted by Oregon fires

Incidentally, because of the aggressive fires raging in Oregon, 26 condors from the Oregon Zoo’s captive breeding facility in Clackamas County have been safely relocated to the WCBP.

The birds transferred from Oregon to Idaho in the second week of September include 13 adult condors, six younger birds that are ready for release and seven hatch-year birds, or, nestlings.

Eighteen additional juveniles from the Oregon breeding facility were relocated to the Oregon Zoo in Portland.

Ventana Wildlife Society seeks donations to rebuild sanctuary

The VWS is seeking donations to rebuild the condor sanctuary that was completely destroyed by the Dolan Fire.

The goal, according to VWS’s website, is to raise $500,000 in order to “continue restoring this magnificent species.” Individuals donating to VWS become members, and receive invitations to member-only events and field trips.

In addition, those making tax-deductible donations will receive a subscription to The Full Crop, VWS’s e-newsletter.

For information on how to donate, and for updates on condors, visit www.ventanaws.org.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will match all private gifts through the end of 2020. The error has been corrected.

This story was originally published September 21, 2020 at 5:00 AM.