in 1987, the last wild california condor was captured. not killed — captured. deliberately.
the species had collapsed to 27 birds. conservationists made a desperate bet: take every remaining condor into captivity, breed them, and hope they could be released before the knowledge of how to survive in the wild was lost.
it worked.
from 27 to 500+
today, over 500 california condors exist. more than 300 fly wild across california, arizona, utah, and baja mexico. they're raising chicks in the grand canyon. they've reclaimed big sur.
this wasn't inevitable. it was expensive, controversial, and uncertain. critics said captive breeding would create "zoo birds" unable to survive outside. they were wrong.
what made it work
lead ammunition bans — lead poisoning from bullet fragments in carrion was the primary killer. california banned lead ammunition in condor range. mortality dropped.
microtrash removal — condors feed their chicks shiny objects, mistaking them for bone fragments. teams remove trash from nesting areas.
power line modifications — utilities added markers and moved lines away from roost sites.
sustained funding — the program has cost over $35 million. that's roughly $70,000 per bird alive today.
the lesson
the condor story isn't about one species. it's proof that extinction isn't inevitable when we commit resources.
the vaquita has 10 individuals left. the condor had 27. the difference isn't biology — it's funding, coordination, and political will.
$CONDOR funds the infrastructure that made the condor recovery possible: habitat protection, research, and the ensurance protocol's headwaters flow.
every condor flying today exists because someone decided 27 was enough to try.