Rescued at just one month old, the young condor is receiving specialized care to give him the best chance of surviving and eventually returning to the wild.
SAN DIEGO (Sept. 2, 2026) – A California condor chick is getting a second chance after being rescued from Pinnacles National Park.
The chick was rescued when he was just about a month old after biologists from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined he needed extra care to survive. His mother had been raising him on her own after the male stopped returning to the nest, making it more challenging for her to provide all the care and food he needed.
The chick’s father later died while receiving treatment for suspected lead poisoning, the leading cause of death for wild California condors and one of the biggest challenges to the species’ recovery. With only his mother left to care for him, biologists determined the chick needed additional support to survive.
While condor parents typically work together to incubate eggs and care for their chicks, this dedicated mother successfully took on those responsibilities alone. Field biologists later noticed she was returning to the nest less frequently while searching for food. Despite her efforts, the chick needed extra help getting the nutrition he needed to continue growing and developing.
Pinnacles National Park biologists safely retrieved the chick from Pinnacles National Park and transported him to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s California condor breeding facility, where he has been placed in a specialized puppet-rearing program to maximize his chances of survival and eventual release.
The chick has been given the in-house name Cayic (pronounced Chai-eech), which means “strong” in the Mutsun language of the Indigenous people of California’s Central Coast—a fitting name as he continues to grow and prepare for his return to the wild.
Cayic is doing well, with a healthy appetite and normal growth and development. He is set to be released back into the wild in fall 2027.
