A First for PWC!
On Friday, July 26th a California Department of Fish and Wildlife Services biologist brought an endangered California Condor into PWC’s clinic. This was the first time an endangered Condor had come to us for treatment.
The bird who arrived was a 3-year-old juvenile with an orange wing tag, number 87 (The actual number is #1087). He was hatched at the LA Zoo in April 2021 as part of their captive breeding program and released in 2022 in San Simeon. Named Buckwheat (named after the flower Eriogonum fasciculatum or California Buckwheat) and known as “Bucky” by the biologists, he was found on the ground in Lockwood, CA, on July 26, possibly injured or ill.
Upon his arrival at PWC, Director of Animal Care, Dr. Shannon Riggs, did a complete intake exam, performed baseline diagnostics, and administered supportive care. The Ventana Wildlife Society was notified about the bird’s presence at the facility. The following day, their biologist arrived and transferred Bucky to the Oakland Zoo for his continued care.
By 1987 California Condors were nearly extinct, with only 22 birds left in the wild. Due to efforts by many organizations and agencies to obtain endangered status for the birds, the population is gradually coming back, with over 500 birds to date (in captivity and in the wild).
Here on the Central Coast, the flock currently has 99 birds with the Ventana Wildlife Society (VWS) and US National Park Service managing this flock. VWS manages the birds held and released at Big Sur and San Simeon and the Park Service manages the birds at Pinnacles National Park. Since they are only 30 miles apart – as condors fly – they are considered one flock, and the birds visit each other often.
The staff and interns knew that this was a rare opportunity, and the photos show how it normally takes three people to examine a large, 11-pound bird with a 9 ½ foot wingspan.
Marcelle Bakula
