What to Know
- Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens (temporarily closed)
- Keepers selected a few possible and meaningful contenders for Condor Chick LA1720
- Choose your favorite keeper-chosen name, donate, and support the California Condor Recovery Program
Choosing just the right name, a series of letters that will form a word that will represent the spirit, character, and beauty of a living being, is quite the wonderful if sometimes challenging task.
And if that name will be bestowed upon a rare bird, a sweet and small superstar that's weathered quite a few of hills already, the choosing gets even choosier.
So staffers at the Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens have decided to ask the public for help in naming California Condor Chick LA1720, the "Miracle Condor Chick."
The "miracle" part of the chick's story? This little one, a tiny fighter that has already faced a lot, continues to triumph with the assistance of a caring medical team and staff.
The battles began even prior to the chick's hatching. The baby was "malpositioned" within the egg, but there was more to come, including breathing issues in early September, just weeks after the August 2020 hatching.
Today? The bigger-and-bolder bird is doing well, and a name that "matches its inspiring journey" is needed.
The next step? Having the condor-loving public weigh in on their favorites, all while donating money to a condor conservation organization.
How will the exciting process work?
"Our condor keepers have selected names that are meaningful to them personally and to the unprecedented efforts to bring California condors back from the brink of extinction," the zoo shared in a post on social media.
"Select your favorite by making a donation to our fundraiser, where 100% of net proceeds will go toward the pioneering California Condor Recovery Program."
Wherever your names-for-beautiful-birds proclivities sit, this will be a tough choice. The pretty picks include Cali, Wallace, Timoloqin, and Yurok.
How will a winner emerge from this fantastic field?
"The winning name will be the one that has the most donations by the time we reach our $25,000 goal or by Jan 7, 2021, whichever comes first."
It's a come-together community moment for the chick's worldwide fandom, and a way that people can channel their love for LA1720 into helping the endangered birds continue to thrive in the future.
Which name would you go with? Take a look now and see which of these lovely choices is currently in the lead.
