Better Late Than Never
Posted at 4:37 pm February 25, 2008 by Bird KeeperIt was not until Friday, Feb. 8, at 4:10 pm, that Molloko (condor No. 45) finally kicked off the breeding season for the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park and laid our first long awaited egg of the year. When the egg was candled on Feb. 10, we were already able to see a little shadow of hope sitting on top of the yolk. Two days later we were able to happily confirm that Xol-Xol (condor No. 25) and Molloko’s egg was in fact fertile.
The breeding season here at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park usually begins in mid-January, but because of the recent wild fires and evacuation we were not sure how our breeding pairs would be affected. We were glad to finally see our first courtship display on Nov. 10, 2007. First thing in the morning on Feb. 5, we were thrilled to find Molloko eating bones and gulping water, the initial telltale signs that an egg is on the way.
Our second egg, produced by Nojoqui (condor 44) and Almiyi (condor 32), did not make us wait at all. Almiyi, the most prolific female of the California Condor Recovery Program, laid her 41st egg just over 25 hours after Molloko laid her 27th. The youngest female here at the Wild Animal Park laid our surprise third egg. This is only the second season that Simerrye (condor No. 221) and Ojja (No. 264) have been together as a pair. Last year Ojja laid her very first egg, and this year, on Tuesday, Feb, 12, she laid her second. Since we had observed her very eagerly eating on Sunday and playing with Simerrye in their pen on Monday, we were shocked when we found that she had laid an egg on Tuesday morning. Unfortunately this egg was not fertile, but we have great hope for this pair in the years to come.
Our largest male, Sisquoc (condor No. 28), and one of our smallest females, Shatash (No. 54), produced our fourth egg on Valentine’s Day. Sisquoc is quite an amazing bird and a very special condor for the Program. He was the very first California condor to hatch in captivity, and he makes sure we do not forget that. Their egg, we are happy to say is fertile.Valentine’s Day was quite an eventful day for us because our Baja mentor also laid that day. Itaxmay (No. 141) and the Baja cohort had to be relocated to the main condor facility because the wild fires that burned through the Wild Animal Park compromised their pen. Itaxmay’s hormones were probably set off by the presence of five adult males in her immediate vicinity. This is the first egg this 12-year-old female has ever laid.
Altogether we have seven breeding pairs here at the Wild Animal Park, and we are still very patiently and eagerly waiting for eggs from the other three pairs. We will just have to wait and see what the delay to the season does to our double clutching efforts this year. Our greatest hope is that it will not have a negative effect on our contribution to the population this year.
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February 27th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
This is such an interesting and exciting blog. You keepers are sensational, as are your wonderful birds! I was very concerned for this breeding season after hearing about your middle-of-the-night rescuing of the condor population at the Park and transferring them to the safety of the Harter Hospital. You are all to be highly commended for what you did then and what you are continuing to do for these very special birds. Thank you all so very much!