The California condor breeding program at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park will continue despite the death of Almiyi, a female euthanized Saturday after suffering from cancer for several months, a zoo spokeswoman said Monday.
Almiyi laid 49 eggs, of which 38 hatched, with 28 of the majestic birds being released into the wild. The rest are in captivity.
Hatched in 1983 at the San Diego Zoo after her egg was one of four brought from Santa Barbara County, she was pictured in a 1996 postage stamp to bring awareness of endangered species.
"We will continue to work with condors at the Safari Park and in the wild," the park's Christina Simmons told City News Service.
The zoo and Safari Park started a breeding program in the 1980s when only 22 condors remained in the world. The population is now more than 400, with 185 hatched at the Safari Park.
The zoo said more than 80 of the birds have been released in the wild, and are living in California, Baja California and Arizona.
Several eggs are being incubated now at the Safari Park, according to Simmons.
