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in Laid, hatched, and raised at the Los Angeles Zoo, Zenith (650) was a part of the 2014 Big Sur release cohort. At first, Zenith (650) wasn't too sure about life outside of the zoo, and it took about 10 minutes for him to leave his kennel and enter the flight pen in our wilderness sanctuary. When he finally decided to emerge, he rocketed in with a big bang and awkward push out of the kennel! He seemed to be much more cautious than the others that entered the pen with him. Despite his spirited entrance, Zenith (650) turned out to be the most reserved condor of his cohort; he had his favorite perch and preferred to sit alone rather than with his fellow juveniles back in 2014.
Zenith (650)'s name was inspired by his first flight during his release that March. He flew immediately toward the "Pen Cam" and straight up, high into the sky on a big thermal! Since his release, Zenith (650) has thoroughly explored the central coast, but spends the majority of his time near the Big Sur release site. Now that he’s a handsome breeding-age male, Zenith (650) can often be seen displaying to both male and female condors during the courtship season. He has certainly come a long way since his early days in the Big Sur flight pen, and exudes the confidence of a mature condor who knows his worth!
In 2024, after many years of courtship towards Redwood Queen (190), these two condors paired after Redwood Queen (190)'s mate, Phoenix (477), went missing in late 2023. In 2024, these two nested in Redwood Queen (190)'s old territory where she raised Iniko (1031). Sadly, Chick (1304) passed away. The cause of death is unknown. We are hopeful that this pair will try again next nesting season.
Zenith (650)'s name was inspired by his first flight during his release that March. He flew immediately toward the "Pen Cam" and straight up, high into the sky on a big thermal! Since his release, Zenith (650) has thoroughly explored the central coast, but spends the majority of his time near the Big Sur release site. Now that he’s a handsome breeding-age male, Zenith (650) can often be seen displaying to both male and female condors during the courtship season. He has certainly come a long way since his early days in the Big Sur flight pen, and exudes the confidence of a mature condor who knows his worth!
In 2024, after many years of courtship towards Redwood Queen (190), these two condors paired after Redwood Queen (190)'s mate, Phoenix (477), went missing in late 2023. In 2024, these two nested in Redwood Queen (190)'s old territory where she raised Iniko (1031). Sadly, Chick (1304) passed away. The cause of death is unknown. We are hopeful that this pair will try again next nesting season.
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