The recovery of peregrine falcons from near-extinction following organochlorine pesticide bans is one of conservation success stories, though illegal persecution remains an ongoing welfare concern.
The recovery of peregrines demonstrates both the welfare harm caused by pesticide contamination and the effectiveness of legislative intervention. Contaminated adults suffered sublethal toxicosis, impaired reproduction, and death. Chicks that failed to develop in abnormally thin shells faced early mortality. Current welfare threats from illegal persecution cause acute harm to individual birds through poisoning that typically causes a prolonged and distressing death, or shooting. Satellite tracking has become an important welfare protection tool by providing evidence of persecution events that support criminal prosecution and deter future incidents.