Peregrine Fund Inc

Target demographics: to conserve birds of prey

Direct beneficiaries per year: In a rapidly-changing world, extinction is a very real possibility even for species that were once abundant. We've worked with some at the very brink, persevering sometimes for decades until they are sustainable again.

Geographic areas served: Nationally and internationally

Programs: We estimate that more than half of all raptor species are in decline, and 18% are threatened with extinction. Our time-tested, proven strategy of species-based conservation has been a mainstay since we resolved to save the Peregrine Falcon in 1970. We are confident that this approach, in concert with our other key strategies of saving habitat, engaging people, and addressing threats, has the power to stop raptor extinction. We created our first conservation breeding facility in 1970 to learn how to sustain the dwindling Peregrine Falcon population in North America. Until then, raptors had only rarely hatched in human care, and certainly not at a scale large enough to restore a species. Among the many challenges of species-based conservation is the need to determine which species require intervention. We estimate there are about 600 raptor species, and many have never been studied, much less monitored or counted. In concert with the IUCN "Red List," we are designing the Global Raptor Impact Network (GRIN), a new tool to gather data and analyze the abundance, distribution, and threats to species in real time. Species restoration. California Condor - the captive breeding facility in Boise, Idaho produces California Condors for release to the wild to establish self-sustaining populations of this rare species. By 1982, just 22 California Condors remained on earth. Today there are more than 500 individual birds, more than half of them flying free in the wild. Cooperative programs with state agencies and hunting groups were expanded to encourage the use of lead-free ammunition in condor country. Each year we attempt to trap every condor to be tested and, if necessary, treated for lead poisoning or any other maladies discovered. Conservation Programs -More than half of all raptor species worldwide are in decline, and the causes almost always point to rapid growth of human populations. To prevent extinction, it’s more urgent than ever to inspire, teach, and connect with people of all ages, in every corner of the globe. The fate of raptor species is in their hands. since founding in 1970, over 100 raptor species in at least 66 countries have benefitted from field research and hands-on recovery efforts by the organization. The Peregrine Fund has been involved in raptor research, graduate studies, and conservation projects in 18 countries on four continents. Training and support were provided to students conducting graduate thesis research projects and doctoral and master's studies, all in their native countries.