Maureen Cavanaugh (Guest Host): Earlier this month, the first California condor in almost 100 years flew over San Diego and then quickly crossed back over the border into Mexico. There was a time when thousands of Condors flew over the southwest. Their impressive 10-foot wingspan inspired Native Americans to call them "thunderbirds." By the 1980s, the condor population dwindled to just 22 birds living in the wild. In an effort to save them, those 22 birds were trapped and sent to zoos for breeding programs -- some were even sent to our San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park. As a result of these breeding programs, the condor population is back up to just over 200, with about 100 living in zoos and the other half in the wild. But according to our guest, they are still in danger of going extinct. Joining us to talk about the rise and fall of the California condor is NPR environmental reporter John Nielsen.
Guest
- John Nielsen covers environmental issues for National Public Radio. He's the author of Condor: To the Brink and Back - The Life and Times of One Giant Bird , which comes out in paperback this week.
