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A Boise, Idaho, a captive breeding program for California condors managed to touch a new height on Monday. It has enabled the birds to return in large numbers to the wild, says Times Argus.

For the first time in more than 10 years, there were more condor births than condor deaths.

Last year, about 14 birds had been brought into the world, as opposed to the 12 that had died earlier, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The conservation action was taken by activists because, in 1987, the California condor became extinct in the wild. However, in 2011, the captive Condor project managed to release more condors in the wild than in captivity. The numbers shot up to 226 in 2012.

"That's an indication that the program is succeeding," said Eric Davis, coordinator of the Fish and Wildlife's preservation program.

Most condors in captivity are released when they are slightly less than two years. They are let out in batches of about 20 to 40, according to WSBTV.

What kills the condors is hunters leaving bullet-ridden carcasses as fodder for the birds. The bullet fragments contain lead that are poisonous.