Why did the number of condors decline so drastically, leading up to the Recovery Program’s creation in 1975?
Estelle: It was a number of factors, most notably from human activities. They have been poisoned and shot, sometimes mistakenly. There were squirrel and coyote abatement programs that used baited (poisoned) carcasses that the condors got into. They were shot, in part for their feathers for use as quills, by early settlers. The hobby of egg collecting was very popular and may have impacted the birds; the practice wasn’t banned until 1918. Collisions with overhead utility wires was another problem. But poisoning by lead appears to be a major factor, by consuming carrion that had been contaminated with lead shot.
