The California Condor is a perfect example of how humans can bring a species to functional extinction but also how they can successfully bring them back. In 1987 all wild California Condors were extinct. The few remaining birds were in captivity and with successful breeding programs in place their numbers rebounded to the point that they could be reintroduced into the wild. They are still impacted by lead poisoning from discarded hunting carcasses with lead shot in them, but more hunters are being responsible now and either not using lead shot or properly disposing of the carcass. The world population is estimated to be somewhere between 500-600 birds today. I was lucky enough to see a whole flock of them at the Navajo Bridge near the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
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