Santa Barbara Zoo - Condors Condor Country

Captured from the Wild

  1. You are a wild male condor, estimated to have hatched in the wild around 1976 and raised by wild parents. With your mate, #11 (called Tama by researchers), you produced wild chick #21 (originally known as AC9), who in 1987 would become the last condor taken from the wild and placed into the captive breeding program. You were also the sire of the first egg to be taken by researchers and hatched at a zoo. You and #11 produced an additional six eggs, which were taken by researchers to be hatched and hand-raised, greatly increasing the condor population at a critical time in the recovery. You soared in the wild until you disappeared in the winter of 1984-85. You are related to all four California condors at the Santa Barbara Zoo: a grandparent of Santa Barbara Zoo condor #433; a great-grandparent of #432 and #439; and a great-great-grandparent of #440.
  2. You are a male condor, estimated to have hatched in the wild around 1976 and raised by wild parents. With your mate #12 (originally known as AC8), you produced six eggs in the wild, including the one that would hatch to become condor #25 (originally known as Xolxol), who was the first condor in the Recovery’s captive breeding program. Several other of your eggs were taken by researchers to be hatched and hand-reared, greatly increasing the condor population at a critical time in the recovery. You soared in the wild until you disappeared in the winter of 1984-85. You are a great-grandparent of all four the Santa Barbara Zoo’s condors.
  3. You are a male condor, estimated to have hatched in the wild around 1976 and raised by wild parents. Researchers gave you the designation AC7. With your mate #8, you raised two chicks in the wild who were later captured for the captive breeding program and, with their mates, produced many eggs – greatly increasing the condor population at a critical time in the recovery. You soared in the wild until you disappeared in the winter of 1984-85. You are a great-grandparent of Santa Barbara Zoo condor #440.
  4. You are a male condor, estimated to have hatched in 1976 and raised by wild parents. Given the designation AC6 by researchers, you were captured in April 1986 and moved to the captive breeding facility at the Los Angeles Zoo. With your first mate, #36 (known as Pismo), you produced an amazing 16 eggs, greatly increasing the condor population at a critical time in the recovery. Most chicks were hand-reared, but two were raised by foster condor parents, and one by you and your mate, California condor #36. In 2003, #36 was transferred to allow more genetic diversity in the captive condor population. You then mated with #121 (known as Elewese) and have produced eggs every year since. You are one of the “founding fathers” of the California condor recovery program. You still live at the Los Angeles Zoo. With #36, you are a grandparent of Santa Barbara Zoo condor #432.
  5. You are a male condor, estimated to have hatched in the wild around 1976 and raised by wild parents. Researchers gave you the designation AC2 (you were also known as the “ Santa Barbara male”). With your mate #10 (known as AC3 and as the “ Santa Barbara female”), you produced seven eggs in the wild, several of which were taken by researchers to be hatched and hand-raised, greatly increasing the condor population at a critical time in the recovery. Many of your wild offspring were later captured for the captive breeding program and are still alive today. Number 10 died from lead poisoning in January 1986. You were captured in December 1986 and taken to the breeding facility at the Los Angeles Zoo. In 1990, you were transferred to the San Diego Wild Animal Park, where you mated with #35 (known as Inaja) and produced 12 eggs. You were rereleased into the wild in June 2005 and died in September 2005 from unknown causes (though elevated levels of lead were found in your bone, it is unknown if that contributed to your death. With #10, you are a great-grandparent of Santa Barbara Zoo condors #432, #433, and #439.
  6. You are a female condor, estimated to have hatched in the wild around 1976 and raised by wild parents. With your mate #4 (known as AC7), you raised two chicks in the wild who were later captured for the captive breeding program and, with their mates, produced many eggs – greatly increasing the condor population at a critical time in the recovery. You soared in the wild until you disappeared in the winter of 1984-85. With #4, you are a great-grandparent of Santa Barbara Zoo condor #440.
  7. You are a female condor, estimated to have hatched in the wild around 1976 and raised by wild parents. You were given the designation of AC3 by researchers. With your mate #6 (known as AC2 and also as the “ Santa Barbara male”) you produced seven eggs in the wild, several of which were taken by researchers to be hatched and hand-raised, greatly increasing the condor population at a critical time in the recovery. Many of your wild offspring were later captured for the captive breeding program and are still alive today. You were captured in January 1986, critically ill, and taken to the San Diego Wild Animal Park, where you died on January 18, 1986. Your death from lead poisoning led to the capture of the remaining condors in the wild later that year. You are the California condor that is on display, hanging from the ceiling, at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. With #6, you are a great-grandparent of Santa Barbara Zoo condors #432, #433, and #439.
  8. You are a female condor, estimated to have hatched in the wild around 1976 and raised by wild parents. You were known as Tama. With your mate, #2, you produced wild chick #21 (known as AC9), who in 1987 would become the last condor taken from the wild and placed into the captive breeding program. You also produced the very first egg to be taken by researchers and hatched at a zoo. You and #2 produced an additional five eggs, which were taken by researchers to be hatched and hand-raised, greatly increasing the condor population at a critical time in the recovery. Sadly, your mate, # 2, died in the wild in 1984 and you were captured in September 1985 and taken to the captive breeding facility at the Los Angeles Zoo. You then mated with #46 (known as Mandan, captive bred) and produced an amazing 12 eggs, including three eggs in one season; all the chicks were hand-raised. You and #46 transferred to the Portland Zoo captive breeding facility in 2003 and have since produced five eggs – the last two chicks you raised. You remain at the Portland Zoo. With #2, you are a great-grandparent of all four of the Santa Barbara Zoo’s condors.
  9. You are a female condor, estimated to have been hatched in the wild around 1976, and raised by wild parents. You were given the designation AC8 by researchers who followed your nesting successes and failures closely beginning in 1981. With your mate #3, you produced six eggs in the wild. One egg which hatched in the wild became condor #25 (known as Xolxol), the first addition to the captive breeding program; other eggs were taken by researchers to be hatched and hand-reared. After the death of your wild mate, #3, in 1984, you mated with #21 (originally known as AC9, wild born) and produced the last egg in the wild, which was taken to the Wild Animal Park. That condor, #44, still lives there and is a grandparent of Santa Barbara Zoo condor #440. You were captured in June 1986 and taken to the San Diego Wild Animal Park’s captive breeding facility. You mated with #7 (originally known as AC5, wild born) to produce eight eggs. You were re-released into the wild in 2002 after 14 years in captivity and returned to your same roost trees and flight patterns from before your capture. You were shot and killed while roosting in a tree on Tejon Ranch in February 2003 and are on display at the Tribal Council Hall of the Santa Ynez Band of the Chumash Indians. You are a great-grandparent of all four Santa Barbara Zoo condors; three with #3, and one (#440) with #21.
  10. You are a female condor, estimated to have hatched in the wild around 1976 and raised by wild parents. You were given the designation of UN-1 by researchers. You were captured in January 1985 and taken to the San Diego Wild Animal Park’s captive breeding facility where you mated with #20 (originally known as AC4, also hatched in the wild) to produce the first egg ever hatched in captivity. You and #20 went on to produce five more eggs; all the chicks were hand-reared except the last one, which you raised. In 1992, to allow more genetic diversity in the captive condor population, you were transferred the Los Angeles Zoo captive breeding facility. You mated with #33 (known as Sequoia, wild born) to produce eight eggs. You died in March 1999 at the Los Angeles Zoo from unknown causes. With #20, you are a great-grandparent of Santa Barbara Zoo condor #440.
  11. You are a male condor, estimated to have been hatched in the wild around 1980 and raised by wild parents. Given the designation AC4 by researchers, you were captured in June 1985. You mated with #13 (wild born) to produce the first egg ever hatched in captivity. You and #13 went on to produce five more eggs, greatly increasing the condor population at a critical time in the recovery. All the chicks were hand-reared except the last one, which you raised. In 1992, to allow more genetic diversity in the captive condor population, #13 was transferred. You mated with #29 (known as Sespe, captive born) and produced an amazing 14 eggs. You later mated with #157 (known as Mexwe, captive born) and produced two eggs; those chicks were raised by condor foster parents. You still live at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. You are a great-grandparent of Santa Barbara Zoo condors #439 (with #29) and #440 (with #13).
  12. You are a male condor who hatched in the wild in 1980 and was raised by wild parents. You were given the designation AC9 by researchers. You and your mate #12 (known as AC8) laid the last egg in the wild; it was taken to the San Diego Wild Animal Park. You were the last wild condor captured for the Recovery Program, finally netted on April 19, 1987. You were one of the most productive sires in the captive breeding program, producing 15 eggs with your mate #40 (known as Squapuni, captive born), greatly increasing the condor population at a critical time in the recovery. You were re-released into the wild to great fanfare on May 1, 2002. You found yet another mate in the wild, #192, and raised two chicks, one in 2004 and another in 2007. You are still flying free. With 12, you are a great-grandparent of Santa Barbara Zoo condor #440.
  13. You are a male condor who was born in the wild in August 1982 and captured not long after to become the first condor in the Recovery Program, then located at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. You are known by the name Xolxol. With your mate #37 (also known as Ojai, captive born), you produced an amazing 19 eggs, greatly increasing the condor population at a critical time in the recovery. In order to have more genetic diversity in the captive condor population, you then mated with #45 and produced an additional nine eggs. You still live at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. With #37, you are a grandparent of Santa Barbara Zoo condor #439.