Condor dies from La Zoo dies from lead poisoning

The tragedy met the efforts of the Condor recovery efforts of the Yurok tribe, as one of the critically endangered birds of lead poisoning, a completely avoidable threat caused by humans-a few months after they were released from the Los Angeles Zoo to the wilderness.

The bird, Pey-Dey-Pey-O-WOK, had only flown freely for three months when he died in the hinterland of the Redwood National Park after taking a leading air force pellet, the trunk said on Wednesday. At 18 months he was the youngest bird in his 18 -year -old herd.

“A natural death would have been less painful for us to observe people when he began to thrive in the wild,” said Tiana Williams-Claussen, the director of wildlife department of the tribe. “It is devastating that it was caused by some people that are caused and avoidable.”

Pey-Noh-Pey-O-Wok, says the trunk, means: “I am a friend or friendly or good-natured.” True to his name, the young condor was always ready to share his food and often discovered care and pressed together with other birds in his herd, said Williams cloaks in the explanation.

A pathology examination found an air force pellet in his Gizzard and high lead concentrations in his liver and in his bones. Lead poisoning is the biggest threat to condors and responsible for around half of all moralities.

In November, another member of the herd received treatment for extremely elevated bleeding content for 22 days in the Condor Care facility of Sequoia Park Zoo before being resumed in the wilderness.

At that time, the Yurok -Stamm biologist Chris West said, “almost inevitable that we will lose a bird or bird to lead poisoning if nothing changes.”

This month, his prediction proved to be true.

“The loss of Pey-No-Pey-O-WOK was a big blow for us. Death is part of the work with wild animals, but being difficult was like our first loss, ”said West. “Fortunately, we have 17 other amazing birds in our herd that bear our hopes, dreams and prayers.”

Condors are aa -eaters and play a crucial role in the ecosystem by feeding on dead animals and preventing rotting battle bodies from accumulating and helping to stop the spread of diseases. Unfortunately, it brings an increased risk of lead poisoning if they are killed on an animal with bleasting.

Condors have a massive wingspan of up to 10 feet and can live undisturbed up to 70 years. Unfortunately, lead poisoning, loss of habitat, poaching and pesticide exposure drove the majestic birds to the edge of the extinction.

Her population reached a low of only 23 birds in 1987, but thanks to the committed maintenance efforts, around 500, as the US fish and wildlife service shows.

The Northern California Condor Restoration Program of the Yurok Tribe plays a key role in these efforts by introducing the condors into the homelland of the tribe.

The tribe sees the condors as sacred and uses its feathers and songs about the birds in many of their ceremonies. They plan to publish another cohort of condors later this year.