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CreekDog

(46,192 posts)
Wed Apr 17, 2013, 12:14 PM Apr 2013

Lead bullet fragments poison rare US condors

Conservationists in the United States say that fragments of lead ammunition continue to take a desperate toll on one of the country's rarest birds.



Since December, seven wild California condors from a population of 80 have died in the Grand Canyon area.

Three of the deaths have been definitively linked to ingesting lead from bullets in the carcasses of prey.

Campaigners are calling for a ban on the use of lead ammunition on public lands.

“The continuous deaths of Grand Canyon condors from lead poisoning is preventable ” -Jeff Miller Centre for Biological Diversity

The California condor is one of the biggest US birds but is considered critically endangered according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
Carrion shooting

In an effort to save the high flying species, 166 of the birds have been reintroduced in Arizona and Utah since 1996.

Of these, 81 have died or disappeared. But experts believe that at least 38 of the birds have died as a result of eating lead fragments left in the guts piles and carcasses of game, shot by hunters. Condors are scavengers and mainly eat large amounts of carrion.

...

"The continuous deaths of Grand Canyon condors from lead poisoning is preventable if we finally treat toxic lead ammunition as we did lead paint and gasoline," he said.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22174702
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Lead bullet fragments poison rare US condors (Original Post) CreekDog Apr 2013 OP
K&R because small things DO matter. nt patrice Apr 2013 #1
The human race is not only too dumb to survive, they are too uncaring to allow anything else to ladjf Apr 2013 #2
Get the lead OUT! NYC_SKP Apr 2013 #3
We had a condor harass us during our Grand Canyon trip central scrutinizer Apr 2013 #4

ladjf

(17,320 posts)
2. The human race is not only too dumb to survive, they are too uncaring to allow anything else to
Wed Apr 17, 2013, 12:18 PM
Apr 2013

live. nt

central scrutinizer

(12,440 posts)
4. We had a condor harass us during our Grand Canyon trip
Wed Apr 17, 2013, 01:35 PM
Apr 2013

We were backpacking down a tributary on the North side heading towards the Colorado and the bottom of the canyon. A condor, wearing a numbered tag, kept flying into camp trying to steal food. We had the kids chase it away from the backpacks by tossing sticks and small rocks at her. We reported it when we got back to the rim and heard later that they had to recapture her. They retired her to the captive breeding program because they figured that she was too used to humans to let free again. She was probably given food by other tourists and lost her fear of humans. When she spread her wings - wow!

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