Wildlife groups try to ban lead shot to save condors

13/01/2007 00:00:00 December 2006. A coalition including hunters, Native Americans, and health and conservation organizations filed suit against the California Fish and Game Commission and Department of Fish and Game for continuing to allow toxic lead ammunition that is poisoning rare California Condors even though safe, reliable bullets and shot are readily available. The organizations sued under the federal Endangered Species Act. ‘The safety of our families and healthy wildlife are important to hunters across California,’ said Anthony Prieto, a hunter and plaintiff. ‘There's a simple solution that lets hunters hunt while protecting condors, eagles and other wildlife; it's lead-free ammo. These bullets are safe and ballistically outperform bullets made from lead.’

Close to extinction, in 1982, the last 22 wild Californian Condors were taken into a captive-breeding program. The government began releasing condors back into the wild in 1992. Of the 127 condors released in California from 1992 to July 2006, 46 birds -36% have died or are presumed dead. Scientists blame poisoning from lead ammunition as the likely cause of the majority of these deaths.

Condors are exposed to lead when they encounter carcasses or the remains of animals killed by hunters in the field. While eating the remains they often unfortunately eat the lead shot as well, and they absorb the toxic metal more quickly than other raptors and expel it less efficiently. ‘Condors are critical to our culture and to our religion,’ said Mati Waiya, a Chumash ceremonial leader and the executive director of the Wishtoyo Foundation, a Native American organization in central California. ‘But they will not survive so long as we continue to allow them to be poisoned by lead.’

Bullets made from copper and other materials are widely available for hunting big game and perform as well or better than lead ammunition. Non-lead ammunition is safer for hunters, their families, or anyone who eats game containing shot or small metal fragments.

Lead is extremely toxic and can cause brain damage, kidney disease, high blood pressure, and reproductive and neurological disorders. It has been banned in plumbing, paint and cookware.

‘My mother fell ill earlier this year after accidentally ingesting lead fragments in venison from a deer I shot,’ said Leif Bierer, another hunter and plaintiff. ‘It's a real threat.’

One Canadian study found that ammunition used to harvest wild game is a major source of lead exposure in Native Americans.
‘People eating meat from animals taken with lead ammunition have unhealthy lead levels in their bodies,’ said Jonathan Parfrey, executive director for PSR.

Federal law requires the use of non-lead shot when hunting waterfowl due to widespread lead poisoning of waterfowl and secondary poisoning of eagles.

Recently, the commission indicated it might consider regulating lead ammunition in condor country. NRDC attorney James Birkelund welcomed that news, but he noted that ‘it's been two years since we petitioned the commission for urgent action. Time is short, and condors need more than good intentions.’

‘Evidence is conclusive - lead poisoning from ammunition is the single greatest obstacle to the recovery of wild California Condors,’ said Jeff Miller with the Center for Biological Diversity. ‘If we want condors to survive, we must stop poisoning their food supply.