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A California condor from the Pinnacles National Monument flock is under treatment at the L.A. Zoo for gunshot pellet wounds and potentially fatal lead levels, according to a press statement from the park.
Pinnacles biologists captured condor No. 286 in early March after they had noticed it becoming weaker, wobbly and “getting beat up by adolescent birds,” the statement reads.
Testing revealed a high lead level in his blood and “potentially fatal exposure,” according to the statement. When transferred to the L.A. Zoo, veterinarians radiographed the condor and found shotgun pellets.
Once lead treatment is completed, vets plan to extract the pellets to determine the type of ammunition, according to the statement.
“We are very grateful this bird is still alive,” wrote Kelly Sorenson, executive director at the Ventana Wilderness Society, “but dismayed this innocent condor was both lead poisoned and gunshot,”
Harming an endangered animal is a federal felony, according to the statement, which includes comments from a hunter in the region.
“Whoever shot the condor should not be seen as a representative of the hunting community,” said Jerry Marquez, the hunter. “The average hunter is conservation minded and wants to preserve the resource for future generations, not destroy it. Shooting the condor was an act of pure stupidity.”
Pinnacles’ statement goes on to note that its poor health is a “real setback to the flock” because biologists had expected that condor to make a breeding attempt this year.
Biologists suspect the lead exposure is unrelated to the gunshot wound and that it potentially ingested lead bullet fragments found in animal carcasses and gut piles.
