BIG SUR, Calif. -- The body of a 9-month-old condor chick found dead in a ravine is on its way to the San Diego Zoo's pathology lab so the cause of death can be determined.
Condor 475 was one of three chicks hatched by the Big Sur flock this year. The others are still alive.
The male chick had survived the fire that ravaged the condors' nesting areas in Big Sur this summer.
Recently, biologists had seen the chick making short flights in the area around its nest. They found his body Sunday after a transmitter emitted a sound indicating he could be dead.
Condors chicks in the wild have a 50 percent survival rate.
