SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — A California wildfire has destroyed a sanctuary for the endangered California condor and the fates of several condors, including a chick, remain unknown.
A blaze last week destroyed the sanctuary in Big Sur that since 1997 has been used to release captive-bred condors into the wild.
Kelly Sorenson, executive director of the group that runs the facility, tells the San Jose Mercury News that there weren't any people or condors at the facility when it burned, but it's unclear what happened to five condors in the area.
They include a 4-month-old chick named Iniko, who has an international webcam following. He was still in the nest and is too young to fly. The California condor is the largest North American land bird, with a wingspan of up to 9 feet.