LA Zoo celebrates the California condor who helped save his species

A California condor who was central to the species’ recovery after near extinction is being celebrated at the Los Angeles Zoo.

Topa Topa arrived at the LA Zoo in 1967 after he was found weak and malnourished in Ventura County. He became the first California condor to live in a zoo.

Over the next 60 years, he became a founding member of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s California Condor Recovery Program, helping establish a breeding population in human care. Topa Topa’s lineage is estimated at about 300 condors, the zoo said.

About 100 are still part of the recovery program and 94 are flying free.

“Topa Topa’s longevity at the Los Angeles Zoo is a testament to the high level of care and wellbeing provided by the Zoo’s animal care and health teams,” Los Angeles Zoo CEO and Director Denise Verret said in a statement. “He represents so much more than a species; he is a symbol of the California condor’s experience from decline to triumph.”

After initially being rehabilitated and released into the wild, Topa Topa was returned permanently to the zoo when it became clear he could not survive on his own, officials said. In 1978, he became the first California condor exhibited to the public, helping raise awareness about the species’ decline.

By 1982, with the wild population reduced to just 22 birds, federal officials launched an emergency recovery effort involving captive breeding, with the L.A. Zoo and San Diego Zoo serving as key partners, officials said.

Topa Topa later became a cornerstone of that effort, producing his first chicks in 1993 and continuing to contribute to the program for decades.

“When I think of the California Condor Recovery Program, Topa Topa is one of the first things that comes to mind,” said Rose Legato, curator of birds at the L.A. Zoo. “The plight of the California condor really began to resonate with the public around the same time Topa Topa was brought to the Zoo in the 1960s. It’s beautiful to see how much he has contributed to the recovery of the species and how far we’ve come.”

The California condor population has grown to more than 600 birds, though threats such as lead poisoning and disease continue to pose risks, officials said.

Topa Topa remains behind the scenes at the zoo’s California Condor Recovery Center, where he continues to play a role in breeding efforts.