BYLOUIS SAHAGÚNSTAFF WRITER

MAY 5, 20235 AM PT

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Famed for its bald, leathery visage and astonishing wingspan, the federally endangered California Condor symbolizes both a species on the brink of extinction and a thundering success story for conservationists.

Just 22 condors existed when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began a captive breeding effort in the early 1980s. Today, there are 183 in California, and 541 on the planet.

Now, however, the majestic scavengers are facing a biological catastrophe they may not be able to overcome.

Federal wildlife officials have confirmed that an outbreak of avian influenza has killed 21 condors in Arizona and Utah since early March. That’s nearly 20% of the 116 condors that were patrolling the skies above Grand Canyon and Zion National Parks.

Now, the Fish and Wildlife Service and its conservation partners are scrambling to devise emergency…