Three Rare Socorro Dove Hatchlings Born at San Diego Zoo Safari Park Boost Conservation Efforts

Three Socorro dove hatchlings born at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in March and April 2026 represent a significant step for the Socorro Dove Project, which aims to reintroduce the extinct-in-the-wild species to Mexico's Socorro Island by 2030. The first eggshell broke on March 7, followed by a second hatchling ten days later, and a third on April 23. Only about 200 Socorro doves remain in captivity across 50 institutions on three continents. The species was last recorded in the wild in 1972, driven to extinction by feral sheep introduced 150 years ago and cats brought by a naval base in the 1950s. Habitat restoration on the 51-square-mile volcanic island, led by Juan Esteban Martínez Gómez of Mexico's Institute of Ecology, includes tree planting since 2015 and sheep eradication between 2009 and 2012. Recent breakthroughs include eight hatchlings at Chester Zoo in England in 2025, one at Whipsnade Zoo in August 2025, and two at Bird Paradise in Singapore in August and September 2025. An aviary has been built on Socorro Island in collaboration with the Mexican Navy to accept birds for quarantine and release. Conservationists emphasize the doves' role as seed dispersers for endemic trees. The hatchlings have already fledged and are described as bold and curious.