The baby boom at the Los Angeles Zoo just got wildly bigger with the hatching of five endangered California condor chicks, as the venerable zoo kicks off its 2024 breeding season. ABC7 reported Monday that these early birds emerged from their shells starting March 1, making a clear statement about the program's grip on the bird's conservation.

Laying an early egg, January saw the condor couples setting the stage with 15 more expectant eggs on the way, vying to make a significant uptick in their population stats. "Our condor pairs here are having a pretty epic egg laying season so far, and they are not done yet," keeper Mike Clark boasted, in a statement obtained by NBC Los Angeles, clearly hopeful as he cheerleads their reproductive hustle with four to five more eggs anticipated before the season concludes.

These chicks, destined for eventual release into their native habitats, represent a gleam of hope for a species once teetering on the brink of the abyss with a mere 22 individuals left back in 1983. While visitors can't rub shoulders with the condors at the zoo, they're given a sneak peek through Condor Spotting sessions that unravel the mystery of these creatures daily, barring Tuesdays.