Status of the California Condor and mortality factors affecting recovery

As of February 2001, a total of 161 California condors were counted alive, of which 46 were in the wild in California and Arizona. The birds, released under the California Condor Recovery Program, have experienced a high level of fatalities (43). The greatest threat is from lead poisoning from spend rifle and shot ammunition. Other threats include electrocution and collision, shooting, and predation. In the absence of long-term solutions to these problems, field release programs must focus on different strategies.