Facts about Conservation of the California Condor

1. 05

   Reintroduction of California Condors to the wild began in 1992, with birds released in California's Los Padres National Forest.

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   California Condors are critically dependent on large territories and can travel hundreds of miles in search of food, soaring on thermal updrafts with their nearly 10-foot wingspan.

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   Captive breeding programs at facilities including the San Diego Zoo and Los Angeles Zoo helped increase California Condor numbers to over 500 birds by the 2020s.

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4. 02

   Lead poisoning from ammunition in hunter-killed carcasses remains one of the primary threats to California Condor recovery efforts today.

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5. 01

   The California Condor was reduced to just 27 individuals in 1987, prompting a controversial decision to capture all remaining wild birds for a captive breeding program.

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