Zoo welcomes 250th endangered California condor
STORY: The world population of California condors was estimated at 561 at the end of 2022, including 347 free-flying birds in three western states and Mexico and 214 in captivity, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
"This hatch will be our first hatch of the season, and it's going to be the 250th chick to hatch here at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, which is significant for us as an organization and also for the Condor Recovery Program as well," said Nora Willis, a senior wildlife care specialist at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
Before the egg hatched, it was placed in an incubator and was closely monitored. It then underwent a CT scan, to make sure there was no malposition.
The chick, whose sex is yet to be determined, is now being cared for by its parents, Mexwe and Xol-Xol (pronounced "hole-hole").
Xol-Xol was the first condor to arrive at the San Diego Zoo in 1982.
"He's made incredible contributions. He's sired so many chicks who are now flying free in the wild, and he's going to continue to do so, probably for a while," said Willis.
The California condor is one of the world's largest flying birds with a wingspan of up to 9 feet (2.7 meters) and weighing more than 20 pounds (9 kg), according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
