L.A. Zoo Veterinarian Also Co-Authors Scientific Research Paper on Historic California Condor HPAI Vaccine
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(© Los Angeles Zoo)
LOS ANGELES, CA – June 18, 2025 – The Los Angeles Zoo’s 2025 California condor breeding season saw the successful hatches of 10 healthy chicks, all of which will be candidates for release into the wild as part of the California Condor Recovery Program (CCRP), under the leadership of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS).
“Our California condor care team continues to make strides in the recovery efforts of North America’s largest land bird,” said Denise M. Verret, CEO & Zoo Director, Los Angeles Zoo. “This year’s chicks will eventually help increase the genetic diversity of the wild population of condors. This iconic species represents a conservation win for Los Angeles and for California.”
This year’s breeding season saw 10 California condor chicks hatch at the L.A. Zoo, which are all doing well and thriving. Four of the chicks are being raised under a double brooding method, with two chicks being reared at one time by a pair of surrogate California condors. In 2017, the L.A. Zoo pioneered a new breeding technique where animal care staff placed two condor chicks with a surrogate condor to raise the chicks. Until that time, no other zoo or CCRP partner had attempted this process.
“The L.A. Zoo’s leadership in breeding California condors clearly demonstrates the marriage between conservation and animal husbandry,” said Misha Body, Deputy Director of Animal Programs, Los Angeles Zoo. “The care and wellbeing that our animal care team provides continues to be innovative and advances the success of the condor program every year. The L.A. Zoo is dedicated to helping our partners increase the California condor’s wild population to not only save them from extinction, but to also continue the hard work towards the ultimate goal of recovery.”
Although some of the chicks may be held back for future breeding, each of the chicks bred at the L.A. Zoo are candidates for release into the wild. The CCRP is administered by the USFWS and partners across local, state, and federal agencies; indigenous tribes; and NGOs. In 1981, the Los Angeles Zoo and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance joined the CCRP as founding members and headstarted the captive breeding program. Today, CCRP partners include the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Chapultepec Zoo, Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians, Los Angeles Zoo, Liberty Wildlife, National Park Service, Navajo Nation, Oakland Zoo, Oregon Zoo, Phoenix Zoo, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Santa Barbara Zoo, Sequoia Zoo, Smithsonian Institution, the federal government of Mexico, The Peregrine Fund, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, University of California at Santa Cruz, University of Montana, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Ventana Wildlife Society, Yurok Tribe, Zacango Zoo, and other governmental and non-governmental organizations. More information on the CCRP can be found on the USFWS website.
In addition to this year’s breeding season, Los Angeles Zoo Chief Veterinarian and Director of Animal Health & Wellness Dominique Keller, DVM, was one of 19 co-authors on a scientific research paper about the historic California condor highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) vaccine, submitted by the USGS and USFWS to the June 2025 edition of the Emerging Infections Diseases Journal of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In October 2023, the Los Angeles Zoo announced it was one of three partner facilities to participate in a HPAI vaccine trial after the avian influenza deaths of 21 free-flying condors in Arizona.
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 California Condor Talk, held daily by Learning & Engagement staff from 2:00 – 2:30 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.
CONTACT:
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