Source: KTLA 5
Optimism is high within the California Condor Recovery Program (CCRP) after the Los Angeles Zoo announced the successful hatching of 10 California condor chicks during the 2025 breeding season. All chicks are healthy and thriving, marking a significant milestone in efforts to save North America’s largest land bird. In the 1980s, the California condor faced near extinction, with only about two dozen individuals remaining. A bold conservation strategy captured the last wild condors for a captive breeding program.
Since then, numbers have steadily increased, with over 500 condors now in existence—about half of them living in the wild. The newly hatched chicks are all candidates for eventual release, although some may be retained for future breeding. While the condors are not on public display at the L.A. Zoo, guests can learn more about them during the daily Condor Talk or the Angela Collier World of Birds Show. The species’ recovery continues to inspire hope.