e Peregrine even in the midst of its amazing rebound. The numbers of Peregrine pairs in the wild are much higher than the original goals of the repopulation programs. As mentioned earlier, in 1970 there were only 2 peregrine pairs left in California, in 1997 there were 125 pairs (2). As a result of the overall increase in Peregrine population, on August 25, 1999 it was taken off the endangered species list (1). This move was harshly criticized by some of the scientists who were instrumental in the falcons return to the wild. Even though the population has increased dramatically, little has been done to protect the habitat of the birds and the loss of genetic variability remains a major concern. The large increase in peregrine population is largely the result of captive birds being released and as a result it is believed that there may be a population bottleneck and a loss of genetic variability. For the most part the Peregrine's population has expanded, but the genetic variability of the species remains undetermined. For the most part however, the Peregrine still stands as one of the few successful attempts to reverse the consequences of mans interference in the natural cycle of life....
