News

In this photo provided by the Los Angeles Zoo, a California Condor chick is weighted at the Los Angeles Zoo on Friday, April 19, 2024. (Jamie Pham - Los Angeles Zoo / AP Photo)

Zoo Hatches Record 17 Endangered Birds, Chicks Are All Candidates for Release Into Wild

By The Associated Press July 24, 2024 at 4:33pm

A record 17 California condor chicks hatched at the Los Angeles Zoo during this year’s breeding season for the endangered birds, officials announced Wednesday.

All the chicks will be candidates for release into the wild as part of the California Condor Recovery Program, the LA Zoo said in a statement.

The 17th and final bird of the season hatched in June and is thriving, zookeepers said.

The previous record was set in 1997, when 15 California condor chicks hatched at the zoo.

A record-breaking 17 California condor chicks hatched at the L.A. Zoo during this year’s breeding season– all of which will be candidates for release into the wild as part of the @USFWS California Condor Recovery Program. Read the full story at: https://t.co/8LFOsDJuYR pic.twitter.com/qoc1wFSTvV

— Los Angeles Zoo (@LAZoo) July 25, 2024

“Our condor team has raised the bar once again in the collaborative effort to save America’s largest flying bird from extinction,” Rose Legato, the zoo’s Curator of Birds, said in the statement.

Legato said the recent record is a result of new breeding and rearing techniques developed at the zoo that put two or three chicks together to be raised by a single adult condor acting as a surrogate parent.

“The result is more condor chicks in the program and ultimately more condors in the wild,” Legato said.

Have you ever seen a California condor?

The California Condor Recovery Program is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Its mission is to propagate the iconic bird that decades ago was on the brink of extinction from habitat loss and lead poisoning.

As of December 2023, there were about 560 California condors in the world, of which more than 340 were living in the wild, the zoo said.

It’s the largest land bird in North America, with wings spanning up to 9.5 feet.

The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.

Submit a Correction →

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:

Animals, California, Nature, Wildlife, WJ Wire

The Associated Press

SummaryMore Biographical InformationRecent PostsContact

The Associated Press is an independent, not-for-profit news cooperative headquartered in New York City. Their teams in over 100 countries tell the world’s stories, from breaking news to investigative reporting. They provide content and services to help engage audiences worldwide, working with companies of all types, from broadcasters to brands. Photo credit: @AP on Twitter

@AP

Facebook

The Associated Press was the first private sector organization in the U.S. to operate on a national scale. Over the past 170 years, they have been first to inform the world of many of history's most important moments, from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the fall of the Shah of Iran and the death of Pope John Paul.

Today, they operate in 263 locations in more than 100 countries relaying breaking news, covering war and conflict and producing enterprise reports that tell the world's stories.

Location

New York City