Condor chick receives assisted care in California
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Biologists at Pinnacles National Park in California intervened to help a California condor chick after its mother struggled to provide enough food and care.
The mother condor hunted less frequently, leaving her chick vulnerable. Park staff took the month-old chick, named Cayic, to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park where caretakers are raising him using a puppet-rearing program.
This program prevents the chick from bonding with humans by having staff use large, condor-shaped puppets to deliver food, mimicking natural parental behavior. Cayic is growing normally and is expected to be released into the wild next fall. The condor population faced near extinction in the 1980s, dropping to fewer than two dozen birds, but a captive breeding program led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and partners like the San Diego Zoo has increased their numbers.
The chick’s father died from suspected lead poisoning, a major threat to California condors, alongside microtrash consumption. As of late 2025, there are 607 California condors worldwide, with 392 flying free, and biologists hope the mother will find a new mate and breed again in the future.
