California Condors at the Grand Canyon

Test results released Monday revealed that three California Condors died last month in Northern Arizona as a result of eating lead pellets while feeding on carrion.

Condors generally feed on dead animals and that includes the entrails of deer, elk, and other big game killed by hunters. The high levels of lead cause the bird’s digestive system to shut down which causes it to eventually starve to death.

Since the reintroduction of the California Condor into the wild back in 1996, 15 birds have been killed as a result of lead poisoning. That may not seem to be many but with a total population of 76 wild condors in Arizona and Utah, every member of the species that is lost is crucial.

Several years ago Arizona introduced a program making hunters aware of the danger of lead based ammunition and hunters voluntarily have changed to lead free ammunition. According to a Feb 23rd, 2009 article in the Arizona Republic, 90% of all Arizona hunters have either switched ammunition or have removed the harmful entrails from the wild.

The investigation into the deaths of these birds determined that they were foraging in Southern Utah when they ingested the lead pellets. Utah has been educating hunters as well and the state is even plans to give hunters coupons for lead free ammunition in certain parts of the state.

These programs have resulted in no condor deaths from lead poisoning for three years prior to these deaths. Let’s hope that these programs continue to switch hunters over to lead free ammunition so that deaths like these are a thing of the past.