Nearly 20 California condors decided to wreak havok on a woman's home in the town of Tehachapi, about 115 miles north of Los Angeles. Since the weekend, the endangered birds have "trashed her deck," according to the woman's daughter Seana Quintero, who has been tweeting about it. This includes tipping over a large plant and chair, tearing her spa cover, knocking over other items like lawn decorations, and pooping all over the place. The homeowner has tried shooing them away with a broom, but that doesn't faze the birds. When they're not "hanging out on her roof and railings messing with stuff," they stare "ominously" at her from nearby trees.
Only about 200 California condors exist in the wild, according to SFChronicle, with 10% of them now squatting at the Tehachapi home. "She's definitely frustrated," Quintero told the Chronicle, speaking about her mom, "but also is in awe of this and knows what an unusual experience this is."
From AP:
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which runs a program to save the species from extinction, responded on Twitter. The agency noted that the house is in historic condor habitat, and suggested that Mickols try harmless hazing like shouting and clapping or spraying water.
California condors almost vanished in the 1980s before the few remaining birds were captured and placed in zoos for captive breeding. A few hundred birds are now in the wild.
Top image by Nathan Rupert / Flickr
