04/04/2022
The critically endangered California condor has skirted the line of extinction since 1987– when the last remaining wild individuals were captured as part of a last-ditch conservation effort by the U.S. government.
Considered one of the rarest birds in the world, California condor numbers drastically declined throughout the 20th century due to lead poisoning, poaching, and habitat loss. In the ‘80s, their total population reached an all-time low at just 27 birds left in the world.
The surviving condors were put in captive breeding programs in Southern California and by 1991 California condors were being reintroduced to the wild. The current estimation of California condor populations is about 500 birds, thanks to the success of wildlife breeding programs.
