Rare bird dies at LA zoo after lead poisoning
Just two weeks after two condors were taken to the Los Angeles
Zoo for treatment following lead poisoning, one of the birds has
died. There are now just 144 free-flying condors in the world,
according to Audubon California.
Rare bird dies at LA zoo after lead poisoning
Just two weeks after two condors were taken to the Los Angeles Zoo for treatment following lead poisoning, one of the birds has died. There are now just 144 free-flying condors in the world, according to Audubon California.
“The passing of Condor No. 245 is tragic,” said Glenn Olson, executive director of Audubon California. “Lead poisoning is a tremendous threat to these remarkable birds. With only 300 condors in the world, to lose even one bird is a setback for this important conservation program and a severe threat to the entire species.”
Condor 245 was first trapped at Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge south of the Central Valley July 29 and transported to the L.A. Zoo July 31. The blood test showed the condor had a blood lead level 10 times the amount that triggers treatment for the birds. The condor had a level of 546 micrograms of lead in its blood – a level that can only be reached with direct ingestion of lead fragments, according to Audubon California staff.
“Death by lead poisoning is particularly tragic because it is preventable,” Olson said. “We strongly urge the California Fish and Game Commission to act quickly at their upcoming meeting to ban the use of lead ammunition in condor territory.”
Recently a group of 45 prominent wildlife biologists signed a statement of scientific agreement that concluded lead ammunition is a threat to the survival of wild condors. Since the mid 1980s, conservationists have been working to breed condors in captivity, release them into the wild and track them.
“It’s clear that lead bullets are poisoning these extremely endangered birds,” said Gary Langham, director of bird conservation for Audubon California. “The sooner the Fish and Game Commission acts, the sooner we can remove this toxic and deadly substance from the condors’ environment. The death of condor 245 underscores the need for rapid action and the clear and present danger that environmental lead presents.”
The California Fish and Game Commission will convene a special session to consider a ban on lead ammunition for big game hunting in condor environments Aug. 27. If approved, the ban would go into effect Jan. 2008.
Another condor, 242, is still undergoing treatment at the L.A. Zoo, and is scheduled to be released into the Big Sur Wilderness some time next week.
