The Condor population(s) would probably be self-sustaining if not for lead shot in some of the dead animals they eat. Workers provide dead sheep and calves for condors to eat, but condors wander over 100 miles looking for food, and they often find dead coyotes and deer that have been shot. Million of dollars are spent on condor conservation annually.

Condor conservation is hard because they still have to be bread in captivity for release to the wild. And they have to survive out in the wild for seven years before they’re old enough to breed and lay a single egg.