Pioneering New Husbandry Techniques, L.A. Zoo Breaks Hatch Record with 17 Healthy Chicks in 2024
LOS ANGELES, CA – July 24, 2024 – The Los Angeles Zoo is capping off its 2024 California condor breeding season with a record-breaking 17 chicks hatched – all of which will be candidates for release into the wild as part of the California Condor Recovery Program (CCRP). The 17th and final chick of the season hatched in June and is thriving. The previous record of 15 California condor chicks hatched at the L.A. Zoo was set in 1997.
“This is a historic moment for the California Condor Recovery Program and the Los Angeles Zoo’s animal care team,” said Rose Legato, Curator of Birds, Los Angeles Zoo. “Our condor team has raised the bar once again in the collaborative effort to save America’s largest flying bird from extinction. What we are seeing now are the benefits of new breeding and rearing techniques developed and implemented by our team which put two or three condor chicks together with adult surrogate condors to be raised. The result is more condor chicks in the program and ultimately more condors in the wild.”
In 2017, the L.A. Zoo pioneered a new breeding technique where animal care staff placed two condor chicks with a surrogate mentor condor to raise the chicks. Until that time, no other zoo or CCRP partner had attempted this process. This year, the L.A. Zoo’s condor team implemented a technique allowing three chicks to be raised at the same time by surrogate condors – another first for the program.
This triple brooding process maximizes the Zoo’s ability to raise condors without human interaction which helps the birds easily adjust when released to the wild. As part of the process, pulling the eggs for artificial incubation enables breeding pairs to produce more than one viable egg in a season. For the record-breaking 2024 breeding season, L.A. Zoo animal care staff successfully hatched 17 chicks, three were reared as singles, eight chicks in double brood situations, and six chicks in triple broods with adult mentors.
The California Condor Recovery Program is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and partners across local, state, and federal agencies; indigenous tribes; and NGOs. All of the chicks bred at the L.A. Zoo are candidates for release into the wild.
“The L.A. Zoo has been an integral partner in the recovery of the iconic California condor since the inception of the program in the 1980s when the species was at the brink of extinction,” said Denise M. Verret, Los Angeles Zoo CEO/Zoo Director. “It is the cornerstone of the Zoo’s mission to save wildlife and an important example of a successful conservation partnership between zoos, government agencies, indigenous peoples, and private organizations. We are proud to be able to make such a significant contribution to the preservation of nature.”
The L.A. Zoo has housed California condors since 1967, when the now legendary Topa Topa came to the Zoo as a malnourished fledgling rescued in the wild. In 1983 there were only 22 California condors remaining on the planet, so the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Fish and Game Commission agreed to create a captive breeding program for the species, which the L.A. Zoo entered as a founding partner. Over the years, the Zoo’s role in this collaborative program has evolved from a focus on building a breeding population at the Zoo to one that includes monitoring and maintaining the populations of wild birds that have been re-established in California.
As of December 2023, there are 561 California condors in the world, of which 344 are living in the wild. The number fluctuates daily due to many outside influences such as habitat loss, pesticide contamination, consumption of micro trash in their environment, and above all, lead poisoning from eating lead bullet fragments or shot pellets found in animal carcasses. Mortality from lead poisoning continues to be the primary impediment to recovery of the species. Growth of the wild population is dependent on the captive-breeding program, underscoring the importance of LA Zoo’s pioneering techniques. In recent years, the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has become another growing threat to the survival of the species.
The California condor is the largest land bird in North America with wings spanning an amazing nine-and-a-half feet! Adult condors stand at around three feet and weigh 17 to 25 pounds. The species can soar to heights of 15,000 feet and may travel up to 150 miles a day. Condors find their food mostly by their keen eyesight. Like vultures and other scavengers, condors are part of nature’s cleaning crew, feeding on the carcasses of large mammals including deer, cattle, and marine mammals such as whales and seals.
While California condors are not on exhibit at the Zoo, guests have the opportunity to catch a glimpse of these critically endangered birds by participating in Condor Spotting, held daily (except Tuesdays) by Learning & Engagement staff from 12:30 to 1:00 p.m. at the picnic area next to the Angela Collier World of Birds Show Theater. Guests can also see Hope, a non-releasable California condor, at the Angela Collier World of Birds Show 12:00 p.m., daily, except Tuesday, weather permitting.
About the Los Angeles Zoo
The Los Angeles Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and is dedicated to providing exemplary animal care and wellbeing. As a trusted leader in local and global conservation efforts, the Los Angeles Zoo is saving wildlife and connecting Angelenos to the natural world by delivering diverse learning opportunities and creating unforgettable experiences. The lush 133-acre campus and its passionate and dedicated team welcomes all to be inspired by the Zoo’s vision to create a just and sustainable world where people and wildlife thrive, together. The Zoo is located on Zoo Drive in Griffith Park at the junction of the Ventura (134) and Golden State (5) freeways. Admission is $22 for adults and $17 for children ages 2 to 12. For information, call (323) 644-4200 or visit the L.A. Zoo website at www.lazoo.org.