$20,000 Reward For Information On The Illegal Shooting Of Two Endangered California Condors In Utah

Photo by: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources 

A $20,000 reward is being offered for information leading to a conviction for the illegal shooting of two endangered California condors near Cedar City, Utah.

The Center for Biological Diversity offered the reward after the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) announced the shootings. According to the agency, the first condor was found in the fall of 2022 in a remote area southeast of Cedar City, north of Zion National Park. A second condor was discovered in the same area in June 2024. Both birds had reportedly been shot with firearms. It is currently unclear if the two incidents are connected or what type of firearms were used.

“California condors are emblems of the American West, and it’s grotesque that these majestic birds were so senselessly gunned down,” said Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director at the Center. “Condors could be one of the success stories of the Endangered Species Act, but they’ll never recover if people can kill them with impunity. I hope someone does the right thing and comes forward to bring justice for this heinous crime.”

California condors are one of the most endangered bird species in the world. They are the largest land birds in North America, boasting a wingspan of up to 9.5 feet. Historically, condors ranged across much of North America, but their current habitat is limited to parts of California, Arizona, Utah, and Baja California in Mexico.

The species once ranged from Canada to Mexico, but sadly, condors faced a dramatic population decline, with only 27 individuals remaining in the wild at one point. Their decline was due to poisoning, shooting, habitat degradation, and other factors which granted them protection under the Endangered Species Act in 1967. They are protected from any form of harm or harassment — killing one is punishable with up to five years in prison.

Captive breeding programs have been pivotal in the recovery of the California condor. Reintroduction sites include the Grand Canyon, Pinnacles National Park, and Baja California. Biologists monitor these released condors using GPS tracking to effectively manage their health and habitat.

“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,” said DWR Avian Conservation Program Coordinator Russell Norvell. “Between the two events, we’ve lost more than a decade’s worth of progress in the recovery of this species.”

Anyone with information on the shootings of these two endangered California condors is urged to contact the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources UTiP Hotline at (800) 662-3337 or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Tip line at (844) 397-8477.