Towards the end of the 1980s, with only 8 individuals
left in the wild, it was clear that the extinction
was imminent. The remaining wild individuals were
taken into captivity and incorporated into an intensive
conservation breeding programme run by San Diego Wild
Animal Park, Los Angeles Zoo and The Peregrine Fund.
A variety of techniques were used in the breeding
programme including “double-clutching”
and the rearing of chicks with hand puppets, and in
1992 the first condors were released back into the
wild. Numerous hurdles have had to be overcome, but
in the spring of 2002 the first wild condor chick
for two decades hatched.
The rescue of the California Condor is an ongoing
conservation programme but the successes so far have
been inspiring and the population continues to climb;
today the condor can once again be seen soaring over
the rocky Californian landscape.
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