09/17/2025
This summer's California condor cohort of 8 individuals is still slowly being released to the wild to join the rest of our local wild flock. We have a health update for California condor C0 (studbook #1274). She has been transported to Oakland Zoo for advanced diagnostics.
From the Yurok Tribe:
"Out of an abundance of caution, Northern California Condor Restoration Program staff have decided to transport condor C0 (studbook 1274) to the Oakland Zoo for x-rays and CT scans of a bony nodule on her wing.
C0 is one of eight condors received by the NCCRP in July for release on California’s North Coast from the Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho.
When NCCRP staff were intaking the birds, they noticed that C0 had some swelling on her wing where they would typically attach radio transmitters, so they decided to allow the wing to rest and attach the transmitters closer to her targeted release date. This week, when staff examined C0 in preparation to attach the transmitters, they noticed a bony mass and potential irritation to the tendon that runs along that part of her wing.
Both that bone and tendon are important to condors’ flight mechanics, so NCCRP staff consulted with Sequoia Park Zoo veterinarians, Oakland Zoo veterinarians, and the condor reintroduction team from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and it was decided to have in depth scans of C0’s wing taken by the Oakland Zoo.
Once results of the scans are reviewed, the collaborative team will make a decision on how to proceed with C0’s future care. We intend to update those following the progress of this newest cohort of NCCRP condors as soon as possible.
NCCRP staff is grateful for their incredible partners at the Sequoia Park Zoo, Oakland Zoo, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who dropped everything yesterday to engage on this condor health matter and who are working to assure speedy treatment for C0 in an attempt to maintain her release window for this Fall, before winter sets in.
The Northern California Condor Restoration Program, a collaborative effort between the Yurok Tribe and Redwood National and State Parks, will continue to release condors from this recent group in small numbers throughout late summer and fall, carefully monitoring how each new bird adapts to its new surroundings and fellow condors. With the addition of this cohort, including C0, the Northern California condor flock now totals 25 birds."
Out of an abundance of caution, Northern California Condor Restoration Program staff have decided to transport condor C0 (studbook 1274) to the Oakland Zoo for x-rays and CT scans of a bony nodule on her wing.
C0 is one of eight condors received by the NCCRP in July for release on California’s North Coast from the Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho.
When NCCRP staff were intaking the birds, they noticed that C0 had some swelling on her wing where they would typically attach radio transmitters, so they decided to allow the wing to rest and attach the transmitters closer to her targeted release date. This week, when staff examined C0 in preparation to attach the transmitters, they noticed a bony mass and potential irritation to the tendon that runs along that part of her wing.
Both that bone and tendon are important to condors’ flight mechanics, so NCCRP staff consulted with Sequoia Park Zoo veterinarians, Oakland Zoo veterinarians, and the condor reintroduction team from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and it was decided to have in depth scans of C0’s wing taken by the Oakland Zoo.
Once results of the scans are reviewed, the collaborative team will make a decision on how to proceed with C0’s future care. We intend to update those following the progress of this newest cohort of NCCRP condors as soon as possible.
NCCRP staff is grateful for their incredible partners at the Sequoia Park Zoo, Oakland Zoo, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who dropped everything yesterday to engage on this condor health matter and who are working to assure speedy treatment for C0 in an attempt to maintain her release window for this Fall, before winter sets in.
The Northern California Condor Restoration Program, a collaborative effort between the Yurok Tribe and Redwood National and State Parks, will continue to release condors from this recent group in small numbers throughout late summer and fall, carefully monitoring how each new bird adapts to its new surroundings and fellow condors. With the addition of this cohort, including C0, the Northern California condor flock now totals 25 birds.
