The Oregon Zoo welcomed the first California egg of 2023 this past weekend, zoo keepers are hoping to see more over the coming weeks.

Currently 14 condor pairs are living at the Oregon Zoo's Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation Center, the zoo says every pair has raised at least one chick before; good news for the recovery effort.

Kelli Walker, the zoo’s senior condor keeper says, “Like any parents, they benefit from a little practice, so it’s great that all of the pairs have experience hatching and raising chicks,” she said. “We’re monitoring the nest areas and will be checking the eggs to make sure they’re developing correctly.”

Walker says, “We’re looking forward to another successful season. There are only about 500 California condors in the world, so every egg is important.”

Since 2003 the Jonsson Center has helped more than 108 hatchlings. Several eggs laid by Oregon Zoo condors have been placed in wild nests to hatch, more than 73 zoo-reared birds have gone out to field pens for release.

The wildlife center is located in rural Clackamas County, on Metro-owned open land, the Oregon Zoo says the remoteness of the center minimizes the exposure of the captive-hatched birds and people, increasing the chances for them to survive and breed in the wild.

For more information about California condor breeding programs click here.