The Los Angeles Zoo has set a new record with 17 California condor chicks hatched during the 2024 breeding season, surpassing the previous record of 15 chicks set in 1997. This achievement is credited to innovative breeding techniques where two or three chicks are raised by a single surrogate condor, a method first introduced in 2017. The chicks will be candidates for release into the wild as part of the California Condor Recovery Program, which aims to save the endangered species. As of December 2023, there were 561 California condors globally, with 344 living in the wild. This milestone is a significant step in the ongoing efforts to prevent the extinction of North America's largest land bird, which has faced threats such as lead poisoning and avian influenza.