The Zoological Society of San Diego’s head of the genetics division, Oliver Ryder, Ph.D., has been heavily involved in the California Condor Recovery Program for this very reason and has this answer:

The California condor has gone through a population bottleneck, as its population size was reduced. Captive breeding saved the California condor from extinction and has allowed the greatest extent possible of its remaining gene pool to be saved.

Nonetheless, genetic diversity has been lost over time as the population living in the wild decreased. However, by rapid growth of the current population, as has taken place during the last 15 years, the risk of genetic diminishment resulting in the inability of the species to survive, has been reduced. Efforts are now focused to ensure that the condor population can continue to grow to meet the goals for species recovery.

The age structure of the reintroduced condor populations is still heavily weighted toward younger individuals. Thus, the full reproductive potential of the wild population has not yet been reached and, additional releases will soon help bolster the population of free-flying birds. Even so, successful reproduction in the effort to reform a wild condor population has not, as yet, reached a level that would result in self-sustaining populations.

The goal of the California Condor Recovery Program is to create a self-sustaining population and so the dedicated members of the recovery efforts will continue to strive to reach this objective. Please continue to send in questions and we will get answers from the experts.

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The latest egg was laid April 7 by Wiloq. She and her mate, Woy, will sit on the egg for up to two weeks before keepers remove it to test its fertility.

“The eggs are naturally incubated for 10 to 14 days,” said Shawn St. Michael, Zoo assistant curator. “Then they are pulled, candled, put into an incubator and replaced with dummy eggs.”

When the chicks start to hatch, at about 57 days, keepers switch the eggs back, so the chicks will hatch under their parents. If keepers decide to encourage Woy and Wiloq to mate again (also called “double clutching”), they may remove Wiloq’s dummy egg.

Unfortunately, an abundance of eggs does not guarantee an abundance of chicks. Of the seven eggs laid last year, only three condor chicks hatched. The low fertility was likely due to the number of young females in the program. Last year’s eggs included two from condor pairs that had never produced eggs before.

The Zoo’s condor recovery efforts take place at the Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation, located in Clackamas County on Metro-owned open space. The remoteness of the facility minimizes the exposure of young condors. The Jonsson Center is currently home to 26 condors. The center has produced 15 eggs since it was established and 10 chicks have hatched.

In 2001, the Oregon Zoo became the third zoo in the nation to join the California Condor Recovery Program. California condor captive-breeding programs are also operated at San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, the Los Angeles Zoo and the Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey. The Oregon Zoo was the recipient of The Wildlife Society’s Conservation Award for “creating the nation’s fourth California condor breeding facility” in
April 2005.

For more information about the Oregon Zoo’s California condors, visit http://www.oregonzoo.org/Condors/index.htm . For Oregon Zoo condor biographies, visit http://www.oregonzoo.org/Condors/condorBios.htm.

Condors, the largest land birds in North America, have wingspans of up to 10 feet and weigh 18 to 30 pounds. They are highly intelligent and inquisitive, often engaging in play. During the Pleistocene Era, which ended about 10,000 years ago, condors’ range extended across much of North America. By 1940, that range had been reduced to the coastal mountains of Southern California, and in 1967 condors were added to the first federal list of endangered species. In 1987, the 17 condors remaining in the wild were brought into
captivity and a captive-breeding program was developed.

The Zoo is a service of Metro and is dedicated to its mission to inspire the community to create a better future for wildlife. Committed to conservation, the Zoo is currently working to save endangered Washington pygmy rabbits, Oregon silverspot butterflies, western pond turtles and Kincaid’s lupine, in addition to California condors. Other projects include studies on black rhinos, Asian elephants, polar bears and bats.

The Zoo opens at 9 a.m. daily and is located five minutes from downtown Portland, just off Highway 26. The Zoo is also accessible by MAX light rail line. Zoo visitors are encouraged to ride MAX or take TriMet bus No. 63 to the Oregon Zoo. Visitors who take the bus or MAX receive $1 off zoo admission. Call TriMet Customer Service, 503-238 RIDE (7433), or visit www.trimet.org for fare and route information.

General admission is $9.75 (12-64), seniors $8.25 (65+), children $6.75 (3-11), and infants 2 and under are free; 25 cents of the admission price helps fund regional conservation projects through the Zoo’s Future for Wildlife program. A parking fee of $1 per car is also required. Additional information is available at www.oregonzoo.org or by calling 503-226-1561.

# # #
Contacts: Bill LaMarche 50-220-2448 (office) or 503-497-5812 (pager)

Linda D’Ae-Smith 503-220-5716 (office) or 503-441-7573 (pager)

Oregon Zoo ̈ 4001 SW Canyon Rd. ̈ Portland, Oregon 97221 ̈ 503-226-1561

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The hatchling, the 140th at the Wild Animal Park, will be raised through the process of puppet rearing, in which keepers feed the chick with a condor puppet to disguise their presence. At a month old, the chick will be gradually introduced to visual contact with other condors. By five to six months of age, the condor chick will fledge and join a mentor bird that will teach the youngster how to behave like a condor in preparation for possible release into the wild.

The California condor was near extinction in the 1980s when the world population of this species hit a low of 22 individuals. Since then, thanks to a multi-agency effort, the condor now numbers nearly 300 birds.

The California Condor Recovery Program is built upon a foundation of private and public partnerships. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service implements the recovery program in partnership with other U.S. and Mexican government agencies, the Zoological Society of San Diego, Los Angeles Zoo, The Peregrine Fund, Oregon Zoo, Chapultepec Zoo, Ventana Wilderness Society and the National Park Service among others.

The 1,800-acre San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park (more than half of which has been set aside as protected native species habitat) is operated by the not-for-profit Zoological Society of San Diego. The Zoological Society, dedicated to the conservation of endangered species and their habitats, engages in conservation and research work around the globe. The Zoological Society also manages the 100-acre San Diego Zoo and the department of Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES), and is working to establish field stations in five key ecological areas worldwide.

CONTACT: Public Relations
619-685-3291
WEB SITE: www.wildanimalpark.org

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Coming from the wild, Tama is extremely valuable as a breeding founder bird. During her time in the Recovery Program, Tama has laid numerous eggs and successfully raised many chicks. It is important for condor chicks to have strong role models, because the youngsters pattern their behavior after adults. Tama’s experience in the wild allows her to teach her chicks how to survive once they are released.

Tama is also known for her dominant personality and the way she throws her weight around. She has built a reputation as a girl who likes her space. She never shies from conflict with other female birds, and usually comes out victorious.

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