Rehabilitation and medical intervention have been integral components of the endangered California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) Recovery Program, yet their demographic contribution remains poorly quantified. Between 2018 and 2025, the Ventana Wildlife Society captured 18 condors that needed medical intervention such as lead toxicosis (n = 10) and trauma (n = 8; including a powerline collision, burn, foreign-object entanglement, foot, leg, and eye injuries). Survival through rehabilitation varied among cases, reflecting differences in condition severity and treatment response. This project integrates detailed clinical histories with post-release GPS and radio telemetry data to evaluate how treatment severity, duration, and success influence survival, reintegration, and breeding participation. We are developing a quantitative framework for assessing the “value added” by rehabilitation, linking medical histories to post-release outcomes while accounting for injury severity. This preliminary analysis provides one of the first datasets connecting individual treatment histories to demographic outcomes in condors. It establishes a foundation for range-wide evaluation of how rehabilitation contributes to condor population recovery, as well as other vulture species.

Evan McWreath is the GIS Specialist for the California Condor Recovery Program with Ventana Wildlife Society and serves as Director of Conservation Research at the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia. He holds an M.A. in Geography from West Virginia University, where he studied the spatial dynamics of lead exposure in condors. Evan leads projects on Motus tower installations, heavy metal toxicology in raptors, turkey vulture nesting and kestrel nest-box monitoring. His current work integrates population ecology, wildlife rehabilitation, and telemetry to evaluate post-release outcomes of raptors and the conservation value of rehabilitation.