California condors take flight again, but survival isn’t guaranteed
After nearly vanishing from the wild, the California condor is soaring over North America once more, thanks to a decades-long conservation effort spanning the U.S. and Mexico — but keeping the species alive remains an uphill battle.
Iván Carrillo reports for Knowable Magazine.
In short:
- Conservationists have worked for more than 20 years to reintroduce condors to the wild, with efforts centered in Baja California, Mexico and several U.S. states.
- Despite laws banning lead bullets in California, many condors continue to suffer from lead exposure after feeding on contaminated carcasses.
- Scientists are using cutting-edge genetic research to manage the population, track inbreeding risks and even uncover rare cases of condors reproducing asexually — an evolutionary surprise that could help the species persist.
Key quote:
“There is a perception that when you release a condor it is already a success, but for there to be real success, you have to monitor them constantly.”
— Juan Vargas Velasco, biologist and field manager for the California Condor Conservation Program
Why this matters:
The condor’s survival is crucial to ecosystems that depend on scavengers to prevent disease spread. Their return is proof of what science and persistence can accomplish, but it’s also a reminder that nature’s victories are rarely permanent with humans' constant enroachment.
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