Santa Barbara Zoo & Condor Conservation
Since
2002, when the Zoo became an official member of the California Condor Recovery
Program, we have been an active collaborator with the program, providing
support for condor reintroduction efforts.
In 2002, members of the Zoo’s maintenance team traveled to Baja Mexico to help build condor release facilities with the Mexican condor partners.
For
the past few years, Zoo staff have also worked onsite with the Ventana
Wildlife Society in Big Sur on a variety of projects. The Zoo recently
received Ventana’s Lapanski Award recognizing cooperation
in a number of areas, including the building of a consolidated
rearing pen for young condors awaiting release into the wild.
In January 2007, Land Rover Santa Barbara, Land Rover U.S., and the Santa Barbara Auto Group assisted the Zoo in obtaining a Land Rover LR3 for use in the California Condor Conservation Program and other field activities.
Estelle Sandhaus, Assistant Director of Conservation and Research, leads
the Zoo’s conservation research 
activities
both in the field and at the Zoo. She helped develop the protocol and trained
volunteers and staff for a “nest watching” program now in its
third season. Zoo veterinarian Karl Hill has been trained to rappel
down cliffs to examine chicks in their nests, which takes place at 30,
60, 90, and 120 days. The Zoo also facilitates data entry and analysis
and collaborates in writing grant proposals and reports. Learn more about
the Santa
Barbara Zoo’s Condor Nest Monitoring
Program.