Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!snorkelwacker!apple!voder!pyramid!sandra
From: sandra@pyrtech.pyramid.com (Sandra Macika)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: what KIND of condor did you say you saw....?
Message-ID: <127720@pyramid.pyramid.com>
Date: 20 Sep 90 23:11:56 GMT
Sender: daemon@pyramid.pyramid.com
Reply-To: sandra@pyrtech.pyramid.com (Sandra Macika)
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Lines: 51

In article <729@sun13.scri.fsu.edu> sandee@sun16.scri.fsu.edu (Daan Sandee) writes:
>
>    ==     The hatching this year of eight California condors has made
>    ==biologists optimistic that these giants may return to the California
>    ==skies by 1992."
> As I understand it, one main cause for their disappearance was deaths due to
> ingestion of lead shot from prey. This problem is not going to be solved
> unless lead shot is banned. Anyone have any information on that?

I spoke with Mike Wallace, the Curator of Birds at the Los Angeles Zoo, on
7/23/90. He has been involved with the Adean Condor project for many years. 
He is also involved with the California Condors at the LA Zoo. 

He is a very nice man with a lot of interesting stories, and he was willing
to talk to me for quite some time.

I understood that "lead shot" wasn't really the problem. There are three 
main reasons the Condors came so close to extinction.

1. Poisoned carrion. Ranchers often left out dead meat to kill Coyotes and
   other preditors. They have come up with "spring loaded sent traps" that
   spray cyanide when triggered. The vultures go only by sight, not smell,
   so they don't get killed. The cyanide does not affect the vulture because
   the coyotes inhale it, and they don't ingest it.

   Mike told me that education was the biggest key to avoiding this problem,
   and he explained that much progress had been made.

2. Target Practice. Vultures are very curious birds, and make good target
   practice. Again, education is the key.

3. Lead Bullets. (I didn't know that this was different than lead shot until
   Mike explained) If the vultures eat the guts from a hunters kill or eat
   an animal that ran away from a hunter and died, they may ingest the 
   bullets. Lead is EXTREMELY bad for the bird. It completely shuts down it's
   digestive system. 

   Mike described a new type of Copper Bullet that hunters can use. These 
   bullets are actually better for the gun. (Lead bullets cause more wear)
   Mike told me that the bullets sell so fast they can barely keep them in
   stock. Again, education is important.
   

>Finally, are they going to recapture all Andean condors as soon as the
>California Condors are released? Otherwise, there will be innumerable fights
>about which Condor it was we just saw there.

Mike assured me that this was the case. Only male Andean's have been released,
and they keep track of their every move. (as best they can any way)

Sandra