SPRINGDALE, Utah (ABC4) – It’s not every day you get to see a critically endangered species up close in the wild.
Shane Wayment, a hiker at Angel’s Landing at Zion National Park captured these amazing photos of a wild California condor.
The California condor can live up to 60 years and has a wingspan of nine to ten feet.
The largest flying bird in North America, it can weigh anywhere from 18 to 31 pounds and may soar as high as 15,000 feet.
In 1980, conservation groups made a massive effort to bring the California condor back from the brink of extinction, bringing the last few condors (less than 10) from the wild into captivity for breeding.
Seen below is California condor #1111, born just last spring.