Zoo hatches record number of condor chicks to release into the wild

Conservationists volition beryllium capable to merchandise much California condors into the chaotic acknowledgment to a grounds fig of chicks hatched astatine the Los Angeles Zoo this breeding season. It’s the latest occurrence successful an unthinkable conservation communicative for North America’s biggest flying bird.

A full of 17 chicks hatched astatine the zoo this season, which came to a adjacent with the past small 1 arriving successful June and “thriving.” That beats a 1997 grounds of 15 chicks successful 1 season. The zoo credits the accomplishment to a caller strategy it developed for minimizing the birds’ interaction with humans.

“The effect is much condor chicks successful the programme and yet much condors successful the wild,” Rose Legato, curator of birds astatine the Los Angeles Zoo, said successful a press release connected Wednesday.

The California condor is inactive considered critically endangered aft years of pb poisoning from scavenging carcasses tainted by ammunition. Thankfully, their numbers are expanding with efforts to present captive-bred birds into the wild. Even so, condor moms inactive marque overmuch amended parents than humans trying to measurement successful — which is what led to conservationists’ caller breakthrough successful breeding and rearing techniques.

Zoo unit initially spot fertilized eggs successful incubators for safekeeping. Just earlier hatching, they determination the eggs to surrogate condor parents. In the wild, a California condor typically lone raises a azygous chick astatine a time. So, until 2017, conservationists would spot conscionable 1 ovum with 1 bird. If they had much eggs than surrogate parents, humans would attraction for the remaining chicks — sometimes utilizing puppets to mimic existent birds.

But increasing up with existent condors arsenic parents amended prepares the chicks for beingness extracurricular of the zoo. And successful 2017, the LA Zoo decided to effort giving a surrogate genitor 2 chicks astatine once. This year, they tried placing 3 eggs with a azygous pistillate for the archetypal time. They recovered that this besides allows breeding pairs to person much than 1 viable ovum each season.

All successful all, the zoo placed six chicks successful triple broods and 8 chicks successful treble broods this season. Another 3 chicks were raised solo. All 17 of them are present candidates to yet beryllium released successful the wild.

The inaugural is portion of the California Condor Recovery Program (CCRP), a collaboration that started successful the 1980s betwixt tribes, authorities and section agencies, nonprofit organizations, and zoos. Human enactment had astir wiped the California condor disconnected the representation by 1982, with lone 22 remaining connected the planet. Fast guardant to December 2023, and their numbers had grown to 561 successful full — including 344 successful the wild.

“Condors are societal animals and we are learning much each twelvemonth astir their societal dynamics. So I’m not amazed that these chick-rearing techniques are paying off,” Eastern Michigan University wildlife ecologist Jonathan Hall told The Los Angeles Times.

The LA Zoo doesn’t support California condors connected exhibit, though visitors tin conscionable a nonreleasable condor named Hope during its vertebrate show. Luckily for us, determination are besides immoderate adorable videos connected YouTube (does Hope look similar she’s smiling?).

What the videos don’t amusement is however majestic these birds are successful the wild, with a helping span reaching much than 9 feet. They tin alert up to 150 miles a day, reaching heights of 15,000 feet. As scavengers, they play an important relation successful cleaning up the carcasses of ample mammals — including deer, cattle, seals, and adjacent whales.

That’s however they upwind up with pb poisoning, inactive the leading origin of death for the birds done 2022. Conservationists inquire hunters and ranchers to usage non-lead ammunition, specified arsenic bullets made from copper, to support the birds. Cleaning up tiny pieces of trash similar vessel caps, tin tops, and solid shards besides helps forestall the birds from eating thing harmful to them.

Every measurement tin marque a difference. The archetypal chick hatched successful the chaotic since the collaborative conservation effort started was documented successful 2004. And by 2008, determination were much condors soaring unfastened skies than those surviving successful zoos.