Wildlife officials say two endangered California condors were shot and killed in southern Utah.
According to the Utah Division of Wildlife, the first condor was discovered north of Zion National Park near Cedar City in the fall of 2022 with a second one found dead in the same area in June. It’s not clear if the two incidents are connected.
The Center for Biological Diversity is offering a $20,000 reward for information that leads to a conviction for the illegal killings.
The California condor is protected as an endangered species.
Fewer than 25 remained in the wild by the 80s until an effort was launched to capture the remaining birds and start a breeding program.
As of June 2024, there are 85 condors in the wild in northern Arizona and southern Utah. This number declined in 2023 due to impacts from avian influenza. There's now a total population of 560 with more than half flying free in Arizona, Utah, California and Mexico.
"The illegal killing of these two condors is a devastating and unnecessary loss on top of all the recent deaths from the highly pathogenic avian influenza," DWR Avian Conservation Program Coordinator Russell Norvell said. "Between the two events, we've lost more than a decade's worth of progress in the recovery of this species."
Killing a California condor is punishable by up to five years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines.
