This article discussed how the California condors have required management even after they have been released from a recovery program because there are still threats in their environment. They were on the brink of extinction partly because of lead poisoning, which is still a significant threat today after they've been released back into the wild. The article examines how lead poisoning is the biggest threat to the successful recovery of condors. It also discusses how most of the lead that condors are consuming are from fragments of lead ammunition that people use for hunting. The authors of the article concluded that this issue requires intensive ongoing management because although there is a lead ban in areas considered condor county, condors are still being poisoned from lead that they consume when they fly outside of the area. However, there is a total ban on hunting with lead ammo that goes into effect in the summer of 2019, so hopefully the instances of lead poisoning will decrease after this.
