California Condor #251 a.k.a "Crush" / by Kitundu

Hatchday: May 10, 2001 Release Date: December 12, 2002 Hatch location San Diego Wild Animal Park Sex: Male Current Status: Unpaired Offspring: Foster father of #603 (2011) Current location: Big Sur, CA

This photo taken August 24th, 2009.

Condor #251 is called "crush" because he had his eye on a female that was already taken by an older male. He was seen lurking around their nest and trying to get the female's attention, and therefore was pulled into captivity during their initial breeding season. "Threesome" pairs are not uncommon in condors, however they will disrupt breeding when jealously becomes a factor.

After his stint in the pre-release pen, Crush returned the following fall with no problems. He did not attempt to hurt the chick and seemed to get along fine with the pair. However, his tendency to frequently visit the nest of female Cosmo requires that we watch him closely. Crush is in the middle of the dominance hierarchy, and feeds with ease amongst the flock.

Information from mycondor.org