The California condor, once nearly extinct due to lead poisoning, has made a significant recovery thanks to dedicated conservation efforts, although lead bullets remain a persistent threat to their survival.
Marlowe Starling reports for Deseret News.
In short:
- In 1982, only 22 California condors remained in the wild, but today there are about 560, thanks to a successful breeding program.
- Lead poisoning, primarily from lead bullets in carrion, continues to be the leading cause of condor deaths, despite other threats like vehicle collisions and forest fires.
- Conservationists are promoting the use of non-lead ammunition to reduce lead poisoning and further aid the condor's recovery.
Key quote:
"It only takes one little lead fragment that’s as big as a couple of grains of sand. That has enough lead to kill a condor."
— Myra Finkelstein, environmental toxicologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Why this matters:
Addressing sources of lead poisoning, most notably curbing use of lead ammunition, is important to protecting the California condor and vital for the overall health of ecosystems and all species including humans. Read more: Hunting, fishing, and science denial.
