California Condor #208 aka "Solo"

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Hatchday: May 14th, 1999 Hatch location Los Angeles Zoo Sex: Female Current Status: Partnered with Beak Boy (#168) Offspring: Foster mother of #429, genetic mother of #431 Current location: Big Sur, CA

Solo has been an explorer her entire life. She knows the backcountry and the south coast intimately, and preferred to roam these remote places alone until she became an adult and paired with Beak Boy. Her preference for the areas least accessible to humans has meant that Solo can be very difficult to track. It also means that she spends a lot of time in hunting territory - putting her in danger of feeding on carcasses killed with lead bullets. In November 2005, Solo suffered severe lead poisoning and was transferred immediately to the LA Zoo. Through a lot of intensive treatment by the highly qualified staff, her life was saved.

Solo and her mate are together even when they have no chick relying on them. The one tiny tension in their partnership is that Solo prefers the backcountry east of the Santa Lucia Mountains, while Beak Boy prefers the coast south of Big Sur. Solo was able to raise her foster chick #429 to the age where she had left her nest and was learning how to fly, known as "fledging". When a chick fledges, the nest is considered "successful". Unfortunately, the fledgling died shortly after she learned to fly. In 2009, Solo and her mate lost their chick at 3-months of age.

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