L.A. Zoo Baby Condor Receives New Name After Fundraising Campaign

HOLLYWOOD, CA — A newly hatched condor at the Los Angeles Zoo will soon have a name, thanks to a fundraising campaign that brought in over $31,000. The Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association announced the condor will be named Cali if female, or Cal if male.

The campaign started on December 9, and surpassed its goal of $25,000 by raising $31,076. For any donated amount, people could select between four potential names for the young bird.

"We are thrilled by the outpouring of support that stretched from coast to coast," said Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association President Tom Jacobson. "The money raised will help support the reintroduction of the California condor to its ancestral skies, and the enthusiasm we have witnessed through small donor-funded campaigns like this tells us that, even during time of tremendous uncertainty, conservation of wildlife is still a high priority."

The condor, previously known as LA1720, hatched on August 21 after several complications.

Zoo officials said donations will support the program's efforts, which include breeding, preparing condors for release into the wild, providing medical treatment for sick and injured birds, performing monitoring and interventions in the field, and training and mentoring staff from partner agencies and institutions.

For now, Cal/Cali will remain at the Zoo until it has matured, when it will be moved to a place where it can best contribute to the species' genetic diversity.

The California Condor has been on the federal endangered species list since 1967, and on the state list since 1971. there are now over 520 condors in the world, compared to only 22 individual condors in the 1980s.

"This is the first time the L.A. Zoo has allowed real-time behind-the- scenes access and documentation of the condor team's vital work, and we see it galvanized legions of fans and followers to contribute to the naming of this hatchling," Los Angeles Zoo CEO and Zoo Director Denise Verret said. "It's inspiring to see their hard work come from behind closed doors to public view so our supporters better understand the delicate, and often harrowing, work that goes into conservation and captive breeding."

City News Service contributed to this report.