Two young California condors named Chert and Pumice have been tearing around their release pen with a full case of the zoomies ahead of their return to the wild.
Video from the Popular Science report shows the 1.5-year-old males hopping, racing in circles, and flapping hard inside the Ventana Wildlife Society’s San Simeon release pen on the California coast. Three other captive condors share the same pen while the group finishes acclimating for release.
Joe Burnett, California Condor Recovery Program Manager at the wildlife society, says the bursts are pure excitement, and not limited to birds still behind the fence.
"We observe the zoomies in both captive and wild condors. It’s just a sudden expression of pure excitement for young condors and very fun to watch,"
Burnett told the outlet the fits arrive without warning. The birds “just can’t contain themselves and totally let loose,” hopping, circling, flapping, or doing all of it at once. He calls it pure fun. The energy dump also helps them grow stronger and learn their wings before they join the free-flying flock.
California condors stretch about 9.5 feet from wing tip to wing tip. Chert and Pumice were raised in zoos, then moved to the San Simeon pen in early September with three companions. The five birds are set for release on October 24 at 10 a.m., with the event planned for a livestream on the society’s YouTube channel.
The horseplay sits on top of one of the country’s longest wildlife recovery fights. In 1982, only 23 California condors remained on Earth. Officials captured the last wild birds and folded them into a captive breeding program aimed at pulling the species back from the brink.
That work still draws readers who follow other fragile-species fights, including coverage of a beloved Big Bear bald eagle lost after intensive care.
At the end of 2025, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service counted 607 California condors in total. The wild population in central California now stands at 104 birds. The five birds leaving San Simeon will add to that central California group once they clear the pen.
"Condor releases are critical to achieving our ultimate goal- to reestablish a self-sustaining condor population in the wild,"
Burnett said. After release, each bird will carry wing-mounted radio and GPS transmitters plus identification tags so crews can track where they go and how they fare.
Large-donor pledges still shape the wider endangered-species arena, including a $200 million DiCaprio and Bezos pledge aimed at threatened animals worldwide.
The Ventana Wildlife Society posted the zoomies clips on Facebook, and the same footage circulated through an Instagram reel. Still images of Chert and Pumice were credited to Kaitlyn Tunick. No injuries or pen problems were reported, just two young males burning off excitement before their first real flight into open country.
Fans of rare-animal news have also tracked a new wild cat species in Bolivia and separate cases where protected birds met human harm, including a bald eagle shot in Louisiana that triggered a cash reward for the shooter.
Steady breeding, careful release pens, and basic tracking beat speeches every time, and these condors seem ready to prove it.
