THE PROBLEM: In December 2021, the virus H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) infected birds throughout North and South America. The outbreak became the largest animal disease event ever reported in the U.S., severely impacting poultry and devastating certain wild bird populations. In 2023, the virus killed 21 California condors, an iconic bird in western North America and a protected endangered species since 1967. Although the condor population had grown from just 22 in the 1980s to roughly 550 birds (both captive and wild) at the time of the outbreak, the H5N1 HPAI virus threatened to spread exponentially if healthy condors scavenged on infected animals, potentially pushing the species to extinction.  

SOLUTION: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) requested assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to consider vaccinating the condors to protect against infection and potential extinction. The USDA collaborated with the Department of the Interior to develop and implement a historic vaccination plan to protect the endangered California condors from HPAI. 

THE TECH TRANSFER MECHANISM: This vaccine was developed and patented by USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS). Upon determining that the animal health company Zoetis was the best commercial partner for this technology, the USDA transferred the vaccine to Zoetis the continued collaborating with the company to commercialize the vaccine. Zoetis agreed to provide the vaccine for this project at no cost if federal and state approval was obtained for the experimental use in an endangered species. Representatives from Zoetis and the USFWS signed a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) covering use of the vaccine.  

With the help of USDA-Wildlife Services and the Carolina Raptor Center, the team ran trials that affirmed the vaccine was both safe and effective in black vultures, which are closely related to condors. Based on this data, the team began vaccine trials in condors – the first use of an HPAI vaccine in non-poultry in the U.S. and the first ever designed to protect a wild bird species from the HPAI virus. Researchers found the vaccinations to be safe, and in 2023, the Zoetis RG vaccine was deemed the best option to immunize condors. Zoetis agreed to contribute the vaccine and expertise at no cost, and the company signed a new MTA with USFWS in 2023. 

THE OUTCOMES: At the time of publication, researchers plan to continue vaccinating all wild and captive condors against HPAI. Through the determined efforts of the interagency team members, this unique program is helping prevent the extinction of a critically endangered species. The HPAI vaccine also holds the distinction of being the first to protect wildlife, the first in the U.S. to protect against HPAI and the first to protect an endangered species.  

Achieving success in this first-of-its-kind effort required collaboration among many federal and state agencies and private organizations, each of which had separate capabilities or management responsibilities. The unprecedented speed of the program’s conception and coordinated implementation was a credit to the partners’ commitment to the program’s success. Thanks to the team’s combined efforts, they overcame obstacles that could have derailed the project.