Reward Offered to Find Who Killed Endangered California Condor

A $5,000 reward is being offered for information regarding the killing of a critically endangered California condor.

The rare bird was found dead in July 2022, having near Hollister, in San Benito County, California. The Wildlife Forensics Laboratory found the cause of death to be trauma from a gunshot wound.

Now, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is investigating, offering a cash reward for information.

"The Service is offering a reward up to $5,000 for information leading to the conviction of the person or persons responsible for the shooting of this condor," the FWS said in a statement on Tuesday. Newsweek has contacted the FWS.

The California condor is the largest land bird in North America, with a gargantuan wingspan of up to 10 feet. A species of vulture, the California condor's historical range stretches along the U.S. west coast. These huge birds use their enormous wings to glide for great distances: they have been recorded flying at up to 56 mph, and as high as 15,100 feet. They feed on the carcasses of dead mammals such as deer, cows and marine mammals.

This bird was listed as endangered in 1967, with their population dropping so low that in the 1980s, they were declared extinct in the wild in 1987. The 27 remaining individuals could only be found in a captive breeding facilities. The reasons for their decline include DDT insecticide poisoning, lead poisoning from eating animals containing lead shots, poaching and habitat destruction.

The captive condors began to be returned to the wild in the 1990s, nearly reaching 200 living wild by 2011, CNN reported at the time. As of 2020, there were 201 adults in the wild of breeding age, 93 of which have produced viable offspring, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The total free-flying and captive population now amounts to more than 500 condors, according to the FWS, but death rates still exceed birth rates, meaning that the species still cannot sustain its own population in the wild.

As an endangered species, the California condor is federally protected under the Endangered Species Act, as well as under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

"Taking, shooting, injuring, or killing a condor are violations of these acts. The maximum penalty for a criminal violation of the Endangered Species Act is one year in jail and a $100,000 fine per individual (or $200,000 per organization). The Migratory Bird Treaty Act carries maximum penalties ranging from six months to one year in jail and fines up to $250,000 per individual, depending on whether an individual is convicted of a misdemeanor or a felony," the FWS explains in the statement.

"Anyone with information regarding the shooting of this condor is asked to contact the Service's Office of Law Enforcement in Sacramento, California."

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