I wasn’t even going to run this post, but the more I read this release from the Ventana Wilderness Society, and the various responses to it in other places, the angrier I get.  

Although they are one of the most endangered birds on the planet, California condors are still facing avoidable threats to their survival.  As a case in point, as one California condor began emergency treatment for lead poisoning, it was discovered the bird also had shotgun pellets embedded in his body from a gunshot wound.  Currently, the bird is fighting for his life at the Los Angeles Zoo.

Yeah, you read it right… not only was the bird suffering from lead poisoning, some idiotic jerkwad shot him with a shotgun!  Crap like this makes it harder for me to keep justifying our sport and defending hunters. 

While at the L.A. Zoo, 286 was radiographed and the shotgun pellets were discovered.  Once lead treatment has been completed, Zoo veterinarians plan to extract the pellets to determine the type of ammunition.  “We are extremely grateful the bird is still alive, but dismayed this innocent condor was both lead poisoned and gunshot,” said Kelly Sorenson, Executive Director of the Ventana Wildlife Society.

Now, just to head off some discussion…

Lead projectiles in the flesh are not considered a source of lead poisoning (as many wounded veterans can attest).  That had to have come from something the bird ingested.  Odds that it was from a legally killed game animal are slim, since lead ammo has been banned in the area for over a year.  There is a good bit of depredation and poaching in the area that this bird was living, but there is also a lot of lead-based garbage from which to scrounge, both along roadsides and in old farmsteads.  There’s also a lot of very toxic mining waste in the nearby hills.

So even though someone could have made the argument that the lead poisoning could have come from other sources, it’s pretty hard to tell someone that the shot pellets didn’t come from a gun. 

I can hear it now, of course.  “Whoever did this wasn’t a hunter!”

But that’s a pretty weak argument to anyone outside of the hunting community.  As far as they care, the only folks carrying guns in the woods are hunters, and it doesn’t matter whether they’re paragons of virtue or lawless poachers.  Add to that the number of hunters who’ve suggested just killing all the condors (in jest and otherwise), and the case gets weaker. 

I really don’t have a solution for any of this.  It sucks, because this kind of damage is pretty much irreversible.  I’d hope that if a hunter witnesses someone doing crap like this, they’ll get the authorities on them ASAP. 

But beyond that… what do we do?  What can we do?  I’m open to ideas.

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