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Romeo (904) was raised in captivity at Oregon Zoo in Portland. When it was time for him to be transferred down to San Simeon for release, he was lucky enough to get a private plane ride instead of a 13-hour road trip! Thanks to Lighthawk, we were able to fly Romeo (904) all the way from Portland, OR, to Hollister, CA, in just a few hours. Lighthawk is a charitable organization that donates flights in small aircraft to conservation groups, at no direct cost to their partners. Their amazing network of over 300 pilots generously donate their expertise, time, and aircraft to help further various conservation and environmental projects, including shuttling condors from their captive homes to their release sites! We named Romeo (904) after the final letter of his plane’s registration code - it was an R, so using the NATO phonetic alphabet, that makes him Romeo!
Despite his flirty name, Romeo (904) was a little shy when we introduced him to the rest of the captive cohort, and it took him a while to blossom into the charming young male he is today. In 2022, female bird, Condor (939), visited San Simeon from the southern California flock, and Romeo (904) was immediately taken with her, staying close to her side while she explored the sanctuary. When she left a few days later to return to the southern California flock, Romeo (904) followed her. It appears their long-distance relationship didn’t work out, however, and Romeo (904) returned to central California without her.
These days, Romeo lives up to his namesake and spends most of his days near the San Simeon sanctuary, showing off his new, pink head to the latest cohort of juveniles. Resident San Simeon male Mike’s Bird (566) seems to have taken a liking to bold Romeo (904) and has taken the young male under his wing.
Despite his flirty name, Romeo (904) was a little shy when we introduced him to the rest of the captive cohort, and it took him a while to blossom into the charming young male he is today. In 2022, female bird, Condor (939), visited San Simeon from the southern California flock, and Romeo (904) was immediately taken with her, staying close to her side while she explored the sanctuary. When she left a few days later to return to the southern California flock, Romeo (904) followed her. It appears their long-distance relationship didn’t work out, however, and Romeo (904) returned to central California without her.
These days, Romeo lives up to his namesake and spends most of his days near the San Simeon sanctuary, showing off his new, pink head to the latest cohort of juveniles. Resident San Simeon male Mike’s Bird (566) seems to have taken a liking to bold Romeo (904) and has taken the young male under his wing.
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