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Mentors are chosen for their appropriate behavior in response to human activity, primarily avoid-
ance or at least lack of interest. Birds that are inquisitive about human activity and novel events are
not suitable mentors even if they have previously been in a flock situation or have been good par-
ents. The goal is for young birds to be wary of new things and to develop the skills and confidence
necessary for social interaction in a competitive, hierarchical population (Clark et al. 2007).
This rearing method, conscientiously carried out, produces chicks that are as wild as their wild-
reared counterparts, but it requires careful management during the remainder of their time in
human care. A fledged juvenile that is suddenly frightened may fly into the enclosure mesh,
attempting to climb it to gain height, but eventually putting so much pressure on its beak that it
cracks or breaks, requiring major repair. To prevent this, the beak tips of chicks are blunted by fil-
ing with an emery board or rotary tool with an abrasive bit before fledging.
California Condor juveniles, whether hand-reared or parent-reared, remain with their initial
adult mentor until they are about 14–18 months old. Once all juveniles in the cohort have devel-
oped appropriate confidence and social behavior, they are ready to be transferred to the pre-release
enclosure in the field. This enclosure is similar to the captive-breeding enclosures. The juvenile
cohort stays in this facility with the adult mentor for several weeks to months, adjusting to the diet
and environment they will find after release. Once released, biologists continue to place carcasses
in or near the enclosure, ensuring the birds find food while they are adapting to the wild and pro-
viding a ready means of recapture.

­ Preparation­for Introduction­to Captive­Flock

Birds that are hand-reared for captive-breeding or display purposes should also be reared by the
above methods but require less stringent precautions to avoid exposure to human activity after
fledging. The primary consideration should be to avoid the chick developing a strong association
with humans as a food source as this will lead to aggression. It is not necessary to deliberately
habituate juveniles to any particular aspect of captive life. If staff members conduct routine activi-
ties, such as cleaning and maintaining enclosures, without encouraging interaction with the birds
and discouraging their approaches, juveniles will not feel rewarded by human attention and will
naturally acclimate to the captive environment.

­ Behavioral­Training­for Educational­Programs

Birds intended to work in educational programs ideally should be parent-reared or isolation-reared
up to the age of fledging. Hand-reared birds with which no isolation precautions have been taken
are very affectionate and relaxed with human caregivers well into their juvenile stage. As these
birds approach sexual maturity, however, they will become increasingly aggressive, particularly
with people they don’t recognize other than those who reared them. Even parent- or isolation-
reared birds, especially males, tend to become increasingly challenging to work with at this age.
These large vultures are best prepared for educational programs by individuals with a strong ani-
mal training background, ideally in both falconry methods and general operant conditioning with
a variety of species. Vultures used in educational programs can also become good breeding birds
later on if socialized with conspecifics as juveniles and managed consistently well. Adult birds that
were not handled properly when young may become unmanageable and dangerous, necessitating
their removal from programs. They are likely to be poor display birds, lacking the social skills to