ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – It's a bird species that has been extinct in the wild for years, but thanks to the Albuquerque BioPark, the Socorro Dove could soon be making it's way back to its natural habitat. The Socorro Dove is native to the Socorro Island off the west coast of Mexico, but a small population of them have called Albuquerque "home" since 2008. This particular dove species has been extinct from the wild since around the 1950's, after domestic cats on the island began to hunt them. The population was also struck with the avian flu. "That's when researchers stepped in and rescued the doves from the island," said Karen Waterfall, a bird curator for ABQ BioPark. That rescued population was sent to Europe in hopes of conserving the species and increasing their numbers. Albuquerque's zoo received 12 of those doves in 2008, and that number has grown to 26 now- with 18 females and 8 males. "That's what has started the founding for our breeding program here," Waterfall said. Since coming to Albuquerque, BioPark bird experts say they've worked together with other facilities and zoos in the country to bump the population up, with a goal of reaching 100 doves in North American in the next seven years. As of 2025, there are around 73 doves across the United States in 22 different facilities- but only 66 of them are able to breed. "That requires cooperative breeding efforts," Waterfall explained. "We also want to maintain genetic diversity, because when you have a small population, you don't want to be breeding related individuals." To reach their goal, the BioPark says they would need to hatch about 15 chicks per year. "We have a population biologist that looks at the genetics and that was just some parameters that we set," Waterfall added. Bird experts say the species can pose challenges when trying to breed, saying the males can lose interest in their partner. "The males can become aggressive to the females if they just have no interest in them," Waterfall said. According to the BioPark, all of the doves in their care are healthy.