Endangered California Condor Killed by Gunshot, $5,000 Reward Offered to Find Culprit

Officials have announced a $ 5,000 reward for anyone who can provide information that would help identify the offender after a necropsy on an endangered California condor revealed that it had been fatally shot down.

$5000 Reward Money

A Calaifornia condor has been gunned down in San Benito County in July 2022, as confirmed by its necropsy results. Officials have raised a reward money that can be claimed by anyone who can help authorities identify the culprit. US Fish and Wildlife Service said reward money is $5000.

The dead California condor was found on private land along Lone Tree Road close to Hollister, and was taklen to the USFWS Wildlife Forensics Laboratory for testing.

Endangered California Condor

In 1967, California condors were listed as endangered. According to the Ventana Wildlife Society, the California condor population declined to just 23 wild birds globally in the 1980s and extinction was a possibility.

With significant recovery and reintroduction efforts over the past thirty years, the California condor population has increased to 400 or so individuals. Many wild condors are currently visible in Pinnacles National Park, which is south of Hollister.

The California condor's long life, which frequently exceeds 60 years, is one of its notable qualities, along with being one of the world's largest flying birds, with a wingspan that exceeds 9.5 feet.

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Endangered Species Act both provide legal protection for the conservation of the California condor.

Federal wildlife officials stated that violations of these crimes include taking, shooting, hurting, or killing a condor.

Criminal violations of the Endangered Species Act carry a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. Similar to this, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act imposes the harshest penalties, which could include fines as high as $250,000 and probable jail terms of six months to a year.

Latest Threat to The Species

Beginning in 2021, a worldwide outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), sometimes known as bird flu, has caused increasing concern for populations of wild bird species, including the California Condor. An infestation is being managed in Arizona by associates of Ventana Wildlife Society.

This year, HPAI cases were reported in Monterey County, perilously close to the flock of free-flying condors in central California. These cases affected snowy plovers, turkey vultures, and several species of waterfowl. Since HPAI is currently widespread, it is not a question of if, but rather when, an outbreak will happen.

There is a fair likelihood that the elder condors in the wild have some immunity after having been exposed to a less severe strain of bird flu because several bird flu strains have existed in the environment for years. If that is the case, the Ventana Wildlife Society says that those creatures have a higher chance of surviving an infection, which is at least somewhat consoling.