Endangered Socorro Doves Hatch at UK Zoo, Sparking Hopes for Reintroduction

In a significant conservation milestone, eight endangered Socorro doves have hatched at the Chester Zoo in the UK as of September 2025. This event has sparked renewed hope for the eventual reestablishment of this species in its native habitat on Socorro Island, off the coast of Mexico.

The Socorro dove was once found comfortably close to people on the island, but a combination of factors, including the introduction of sheep and feral cats, led to the species being wiped out from its natural range by the 1950s. However, a conservation expedition in 1925 managed to take 17 Socorro doves to the United States, and every dove alive today is descended from those birds.

Now, with the sheep removed from Socorro Island in 2010 and birdhouses built 20 years ago in anticipation of the doves' return, researchers are making progress in assessing the island's suitability for the species' reintegration. While the threat of feral cats still remains, the successful breeding of Socorro doves in captivity, such as at the Chester Zoo, offers hope for their eventual reintroduction to the wild.

The story of the Socorro dove underscores the critical importance of conservation efforts in preventing the loss of biodiversity. As one researcher noted, "It's a miracle that [the Socorro doves] gave extinction the slip and is still with us, and institutions like Chester Zoo play such an important role in being custodians of these precious birds that exist nowhere else on Earth."