Rare California condors threatened by fires

By Jill Serjeant LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Naturalists feared on Tuesday for endangered California condors caught up in a massive two week-old blaze still sweeping through the scenic Big Sur area. The fate of three condor chicks born in the wild in April -- key to the reintroduction in California of the threatened species -- was unknown. One nest was in the path of the fire and flames damaged an aviary where captive chicks are trained before being released into the wild. "We have three mating condor pairs this year and three active nests that we are really concerned about. We don't know if the chicks are dead or not," said Cathy Keeran of the Ventana Wildlife Society. The society is the only nonprofit group releasing and managing California condors in the wild. Keeran said eight captive chicks had been rescued by helicopter... [read full story]