The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently reported the heartbreaking discovery of the lifeless endangered California condor in Hollister, California. It was found in a critical state in July 2022, but to date, the authorities have yet to ascertain the perpetrator behind this crime.
According to a necropsy conducted by the Service’s Wildlife Forensics Laboratory, the cause of death was determined to be trauma from a gunshot wound. The Service announced a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the conviction of the person or persons responsible for the shooting of the condor per the Fish and Wildlife Service.
According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, California condors found themselves listed as endangered back in 1967. By the 1980s, their numbers bore witness to the precipice of extinction, with a meager 23 individuals dotting the landscape worldwide. Through intensive recovery and reintroduction efforts over the past three decades, these once-iconic giants have managed to claw their way back from the brink, their population now numbering around 400 individuals.
California condors are now protected by the Endangered Species Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Reflecting the severity of the crime, 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). Meanwhile, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act imposes penalties ranging from six months to one year in jail and fines up to $250,000 per individual, depending on the nature of the conviction for misdemeanor or felony offenses.
Anonymous submissions with information regarding the shooting of this condor are allowed to the Service’s Office of Law Enforcement in Sacramento or through Special Agent Victoria Van Duzer’s email.
