Scientific Name: Gymnogyps californianus
 Country: United States (California, Arizona)

IUCN Status: Critically Endangered

The California condor was originally widespread throughout North America, but by the 1800s they were restricted to the west coast, from British Columbia to Baja California. In the 1970s only 30 individuals remained, all of which were confined to a small area of California, and on Easter Sunday 1987 the species became Extinct in the Wild when the last individual was taken into captivity. An extensive conservation effort has been undertaken to reintroduce captive-bred condors back into the wilds of California, Arizona and Mexico. (Left hand photo: Condor at feeding site in spring of 2000. Ventana wilderness area, California, photographed by Scott Frier/Nikon, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.)

Towards the end of the 1980s, with only 8 individuals left in the wild, it was clear that the extinction of this bird was imminent. The remaining wild individuals were taken into captivity and incorporated into an intensive conservation breeding programme run by San Diego Wild Animal Park, Los Angeles Zoo and The Peregrine Fund. A variety of techniques were used in the breeding programme including 'double-clutching' and the rearing of chicks with hand puppets (right hand photo, condor chick "Hoy" is being fed by condor feeding puppet. Hoy is second generation California condor chick conceived by captive condor parents. Mother is named "Molloko". San Diego Zoo, California, photographed by Ron Garrison, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), and in 1992 the first condors were released back into the wild. Numerous hurdles have had to be overcome, not least teaching captive birds to avoid power cables, but in the spring of 2002 the first wild condor chick for two decades hatched. On 5 November the first young condor was successfully fledged by a captive-produced pair of condors, and it occurred in the Grand Canyon. It had been two decades since the last young condor fledged in the wild. Since 2001 there has been a total of 12 nesting attempts in the wild by captive-produced condors with eggs laid, six in Arizona with one known young produced and six in California with five young hatched but none successfully fledged. And on 1 November 2004 the total number of California Condor was 246 (111 living in the wild).

The rescue of the Californian condor is an ongoing conservation programme but the successes so far have been inspiring and the population continues to climb; today the condor can once again be seen soaring over the rocky Californian landscape.

(Photo: Reintroduced captive-reared condors at Castle Crags, California, photographed by David Clendenen, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.)

The Peregrine Fund - California Condor Restoration - Conservation Projects

California condor - Gymnogyps californianus - ARKive

Scientific Name: Oryx leucoryx

Countries: Oman, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Bahrain.

IUCN Status: Endangered

Once widespread on the Arabian Peninsula, reaching north into Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Syria and Sinai in Egypt, the last wild oryx was shot in 1972 and the species persisted only in captivity for a decade. The rescue of the Arabian oryx began in early 1960s when Fauna & Flora International (FFI) had the foresight to capture wild oryx and transfer them to Phoenix Zoo in Arizona. 'Operation Oryx' as it became known, succeeded in establishing a large captive herd in the USA that could later be used for reintroductions. The first herds were released in Oman at Yalooni in the Jiddat-al-Harasis in 1982, over the years the wild population became firmly established and by 1996 numbered over 400 animals.

(Photo: The oryx is a beautiful antelope species. There are several black and white Arabian oryx in Edinburgh Zoo. Photographed by alisdair. Source: flickr.)

Currently there are five reintroduced populations: Oman (Arabian Oryx Sanctuary, 27,000 km²); Saudi Arabia (Mahazat as-Sayd Reserve, 2,900 km² and Uruq Bani Ma’arid Reserve, 5,500 km²); Israel (Northern Arava and Negev Desert). A small population has also been introduced to Hawar Island, Bahrain. Reintroductions in Jordan, Kuwait and Syria are planned or projected.

Current total is estimated at approximately 886: Oman (approximately 106); Saudi Arabia (approximately 700 (500 in Mahazat as Sayd and 200 in Uruq Bani Ma’arid); Israel (65 in total. A further release of 20 in the Negev is planned for 2003); Bahrain (15.

A recent increase in poaching has decreased numbers again in Oman, but the reintroduction of the Arabian oryx still represents a remarkable conservation success story and an example of what international cooperation can achieve.
 

For more information:

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Oryx leucoryx

Arabian Oryx Conservation
The Arabian Oryx Project

Scientific Name: Elaphurus davidianus
Country: China

IUCN Status: Critically Endangered

The Pere David’s deer occurs in China, in the 1,000 hectare Dafeng reserve, where it was reintroduced (from a European captive population) after China’s wild population became extinct over 1000 years ago. There are also internationally held stocks.

As inhabitants of open marshland and plains, this deer was easily hunted and suffered huge population losses in the 19th Century. At this time the Emperor of China established a large herd in his ‘Imperial Hunting Park’ where the deer thrived. Pere David, a French missionary, became fascinated by these animals and persuaded the Emperor to allow some deer to be sent to Europe. Shortly after this, in May 1865, there were catastrophic floods in China, killing the entire population of Pere David’s deer. Fortunately the captive populations in Europe bred well, and in 1986 a small group of 39 individuals was reintroduced to the Dafeng reserve in China. This group has, over the years, increased in numbers, but this species is still considered critically endangered due to its small and therefore vulnerable population. In 1993 there were about 975 individuals.

The present reintroduced populations are contained within enclosures and subject to captive management. They are protected from hunting in the Dafeng reserve and in the future it is hoped that there will be further reintroductions in China. This species was saved from the brink of extinction and is making a slow but steady recovery. It is, however, dependant on conservation measures and captive management and so it is essential that these efforts are continued.

Pere David’s deer - Elaphurus davidianus - ARKive

Scientific Name: Equus caballus przewalskii

Country: Mongolia

IUCN Status: Extinct in the Wild

(Photo: Przewalski horse in Mejean-Highland [Altitude > 1.000m], France, summer 2005. Photographed by Jörg Lesche.)

Population low: unknown (In 1900 only 53 in captivity, plus some wild ones).

Current Population: 1435 (2000).

The national symbol of Mongolia, the Przewalski horse or Takh, has returned to its country of origin. The only truly wild horse has recovered from a captive existence abroad to now roam free in the wild forests and steppes of the Hustai National Park. The remarkable come-back tells a story that spans well over 30 years.

First, a breeding programme secured the genetic basis that allowed to build a new population. Second, two generations of selected horses hardened-off and re-learnt their social behaviour in semi-reserves in The Netherlands and Germany. Third, groups from the semi-reserves were brought to a carefully selected natural area in Mongolia. Here, in their natural habitat, they were finally set free.

Today, Przewalski horses prosper in Hustai National Park. They display their natural group-behaviour, stand the harsh winters, protect their young from wolves and produce offspring. Once this viable population was secured, the current programme’s activities are concentrated on the park’s protection and to help ascertain a novel and durable relationship between man and the Przewalski horse.

Foundation for the Preservation and Protection of the Przewalski Horse (FPPPH).

Scientific Name: Leontopithecus rosalia
 Country: Brazil

IUCN Status: Endangered

Golden lion tamarins are one of the world's most endangered species. In the early 1970s, there were fewer than 200 of these small monkeys in Brazil's Atlantic coastal forest. Thanks to the National Zoo, other zoos, conservation organizations, and Brazil's government, there are now more than 1,200 living in the wild.

They are endangered because their habitat has been fragmented into small, unconnected areas, each area only capable of supporting a small number of groups. Without intervention by the National Zoo, other zoos, organizations, and the Brazilian government, inbreeding would soon lead to the local extinction of many of these small populations of tamarins, and eventually of the entire species.

Today (May 2004) there are about 1,180 golden lion tamarins living in the wild. In addition to these, there are about 445 golden lion tamarins in 150 zoos around the world.

(Photo: golden lion tamarin in Artis Zoo, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Photographed by Peter Maas.)

Golden Lion Tamarin Conservation Program - National Zoo

Scientific Name: Branta sandvicensis

Country: United States (Hawaii)

IUCN Status: Vulnerable

Wild populations are now found only on the islands of Hawaii, Maui (where reintroduced), and Kauai (where reintroduced). Formerly it was found on most of the larger Hawaiian islands. This species ranges from coastal to subalpine elevations and has a population of 960 to 1,000 individuals (1999).

In 1918 after the population was estimated at no more than 30 individuals left on Hawaii, a captive breeding program was set up on the island, with a sister program underway in England by the mid 1950's. Although it has grown, the population is by no means stable. Kauai Island has abundant grasses and is still mongoose-free, and it follows that the population is growing there the most rapidly. High elevation habitats on the other islands support very few birds due to food shortages. Years with higher rainfall in these areas consistently show better survival rates, but even so, they must be periodically re-stocked with new individuals. In addition, the National Park runs a supplemental feeding program to get them through periodic food shortages. Prior to intense depredation pressures, the Hawaiian Goose nested in the leeward lowlands, where winter rains caused fresh green growth of native plants. Generally speaking, the success of this species is limited by food shortages in the upper elevations, and predation in the lowlands.

(Photo: Hawaiian Geese in Aqua Zoo Friesland, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands. Photographed by Peter Maas.)
 

Audubon WatchList - Hawaiian Goose

Nene - Branta sandvicensis - ARKive

Scientific Name: Bison bonasus
 Countries: Poland, Lithuania, Russian Federation, Belarus, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan.

IUCN Status: Endangered

The European bison previously roamed throughout western, central and southeastern Europe but by the beginning of the 20th Century persisted only in two protected ancient forests in Poland and the former Soviet Union. By 1927, the species had been lost from the wild entirely and only 48 individuals survived in European Zoos. Reintroductions to forests in Belarus, Poland, Russia and the Ukraine have been extremely successful and the total population today is roughly 3,500 individuals, of which around 1,700 are completely wild.

(Photo: European wisent (żubr) photographed by Henryk Kotowski in Białowieża, Eastern Poland.)

The protection of the European bison has a long history; between the 15th and 18th Century those in the Tzar's Royal Hunting Forest of Bialowieza were protected and their diet supplemented. Efforts to restore this species to the wild began in 1948 with the establishment of the Bison Breeding Centre within the Prioksko-Terrasny Biosphere Reserve. Reintroductions of captive-bred individuals to this area began in the 1950s and the herds have grown successfully; reintroductions to date have occurred in Belarus, Poland, Russia and the Ukraine. The aim of the Bison Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) is to establish a total free-ranging population of around 6,000 animals from two different lineages.

Today, the wild population is around 1,700 individuals, which represents a remarkable conservation success story.

European bison - Bison bonasus - ARKive 

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Bison bonasus

Vicuña

Scientific Name: Vicugna vicugna
Country: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru.

IUCN Status: Lower Risk

During the period of the Incas, the total population reached 1.5 million. With the fall of the empire, the number dropped dramatically due to massive slaughter by the conquerors and the settlers. By 1960, the number decreased to only 6,000. Recent efforts of establishing national parks and organizations for protection of vicunas have brought the population back up to 125,000. About half of this number live at the Pampas Galeras National Vicuna Reserve in Peru. 

(Photos: Vicuñas in the Pampa Galeras National Reserve, Peru. Photographed by Peter Maas, August 2004.)

For more information:

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Vicugna vicugna

ADW: Vicugna vicugna: Information