Condor Captured at Castaic Lake, Returned to Refuge

A wayward California condor was returned to its refuge after it was captured at Castaic Lake, but another remained at large and was last seen winging back toward the condor sanctuary 40 miles away, officials said.

The year-old female with a nine-foot wingspan was captured Saturday and returned to the Sespe condor refuge. “She was feisty. She was fighting in the net, but she was fine,” said Shari Beck, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service field biologist.

The second condor was last seen heading toward the forest on its own.

Fewer than 100 California condors are known to exist, and only five live in the refuge. The others are in California zoos. The last known wild California condor was captured in 1987. The birds are being bred in captivity and released into the wild.