7-Week-Old Condor Chick Dies Unexpectedly at Zoo

A 7-week-old California condor chick died abruptly and unexpectedly Tuesday at the Los Angeles Zoo, officials there said. Hatched June 3, “Naca” was inside the chick-rearing facility, along with three Andean and three California Condor chicks, said zoo spokeswoman Lora LaMarca.

A keeper working in the area said the chick appeared to be having convulsions and contacted the zoo veterinarian. But the chick died within a few minutes, LaMarca said. The chick was transported to the San Diego Zoo for a necropsy. Pathology tests will take several days to complete to find the cause of death.

The chick was the last of nine California condors that have hatched at the zoo this year. There are a total of 52 California condors in existence, all of them housed at the Los Angeles Zoo and the San Diego Wild Animal Park.

California condor