Nearly 14 years after she was captured and placed in a breeding program to help save her species from extinction, a California condor known as Adult Condor No. 8 was set free yesterday in a wilderness area northwest of Los Angeles. The old-timer was joined by two 10-month-old condors born and raised in the Los Angeles Zoo. Biologists hope the older bird will be a mentor to the young ones. Adult Condor No. 8 was the last female and one of only six California condors remaining in the wild when she was captured in 1986. She subsequently produced 12 offspring in captivity. After an expensive federal breeding and reintroduction program, there are now 49 California condors flying free in California and Arizona. No condors have been hatched in the wild since reintroduction began, but scientists are hopeful.
