California Condors to be Released March 15 in Arizona

Photo: Greg R. Homel, Natural Elements Productions

Four California Condors will be released into the wild in the Vermilion Cliffs Monument in northern Arizona at 11 a.m., Saturday, March 15. The public may observe the release from a viewing area where spotting scopes will be set up and experts will be available to answer questions. The young birds were bred and hatched in captivity at the Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho.

“It’s always a thrill to add more individuals to this growing flock, but these birds will face many challenges growing up, especially the danger of lead poisoning, their leading cause of death,” said Chris Parish, the Peregrine Fund biologist heading up the recovery effort.

Condors in California were given a boost when the California State Fish and Game Commission voted Dec. 7 to adopt strong regulations to restrict the use of lead ammunition in California to protect the endangered California Condor. The Commission voted to implement legislation signed by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in October to prohibit the use of lead ammunition in the range of the California Condor, but went further by restricting additional hunting activities using lead ammunition. No such ban exists in Arizona.

The California Condor was nearly extinct by the late 1980s, when the last surviving 22 birds were removed from the wild for a captive breeding program. Condors were re-released into the wild in California and Arizona, beginning in 1996. The effort has been a success, with the Arizona flock currently numbering 65, including six condors that have been born in the wild since releases began. The Arizona birds have established territories primarily in the Grand Canyon and Vermilion Cliffs of northern Arizona, and portions of southern Utah. The total number of endangered California Condors is 298, with 144 birds flying free in California, Arizona, and Mexico.