Back from the Brink: Recovery
In 1982 the world’s population of California condors dropped to a low of 22 individual birds.
The decision was made, in 1984, to capture the few remaining condors in the wild and attempt a captive breeding program. There were 24 condors then.
Today, there are more than 320, with more than half of the birds flying free in the wild.
There is still much to do to ensure that California condors, who first glided in the Pleistocene era and feasted on dead mastodons, will continue to soar into the future.
- Read the story of the last breeding pair of wild condors, AC8 and AC9, captured in the 1980s, from Jan Hamber, who was there to witness their story.
- Discover the partners and collaborators in the California Condor Recovery Program, who have been working to save this species from extinction.
- Find out the Santa Barbara Zoo’s role in the Recovery Program and how the Nest Monitoring Program is helping to keep chicks born in the wild healthy and safe.
- How many condors are there – and where are they? Here’s the most recent California Condor Recovery Program’s Month Population Report.
Photo credit: Sheri Horiszny