United States - October 09, 2025 Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona – Two California condors raised at the Oregon Zoo’s Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation were released at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument on Sept. 27 and are now flying over Arizona this month. Condors No. 1254 and No. 1260, hatched at the Jonsson Center last year, joined three other zoo-reared birds in a release hosted by the Peregrine Fund and the Bureau of Land Management for National Public Lands Day. “All five condors are doing great so far,” said Tim Hauck, program director for the Peregrine Fund. Vermilion’s releases are conducted as soft releases: birds leave flight pens on their own timetable. When a condor moves into the outer holding area, an inner door closes and the outer door opens, allowing it to fly free. During a livestream, condor 1254 launched first. “It’s fitting that she left the release pen first, since she was the first California condor of her cohort to hatch in 2024,” said Nicole LaGreco, who oversees the zoo’s condor program. The California condor remains listed as critically endangered. From only 22 wild birds in 1982 and a full captivity effort by 1987, recovery programs have helped the global population reach about 560 birds, most flying free. The Jonsson Center, on Metro-owned open land in rural Clackamas County, keeps chicks remote to limit human exposure and boost survival. Upgrades there were funded in part by Senators Merkley and Wyden, the Avangrid Foundation and donations to the Oregon Zoo Foundation. More than 140 chicks have hatched at the Jonsson Center since 2003, and over 100 Oregon Zoo–reared birds have been sent to field pens for release. Several zoo-laid eggs have been placed in wild nests to hatch.