About a year ago I wrote in this space about an [unintentionally
voyeuristic] encounter with California Condors along their eponymous state’s Big Sur coast. How
majestic those birds are! Their mastery
of the air, soaring on huge wings, takes them on daily journeys many miles long
and covering hundreds of hectares of landscape.
One might think them invincible, but alas, an earth element for which
evolution did not prepare their kind has been their downfall, and still threatens
these 747s of the avian world. Element 82,
lead, is highly toxic, especially when ingested (or delivered at a high rate of
speed). Environmental “clean-up crews” in the form of scavengers such as
condors and other vultures as well as Bald Eagles have perished, often after suffering
lengthy painful debilitating neurological problems caused by eating
lead-contaminated carrion. This
“mineral-rich” food is unnecessarily abundant in some areas, especially where
shooters have not yet converted to lead-free ammunition. Shotgun pellets in an un-retrieved duck; a wounded
deer, which wandered into a secluded spot to die after eluding a hunter; a
coyote shot by a shepherd --- any number of similarly contaminated menu items
lure the unsuspecting scavengers to their ultimate demise.
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| California Condor |
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| Andean Condor |
Are these same hazards responsible for the decline in the
Andean Condor populations?
According to BirdLife
International that species is “highly vulnerable to human persecution,
which persists in parts of its range owing to alleged attacks [by condors] on
livestock (Houston 1994)”. Yes, lead
ammunition plays a role in the decline of these condors as well, although it would
seem that the “high speed” delivery of lead is responsible for a higher
percentage of condor mortality south of the equator.
It is likely that an increased effort to educate and
inform the general public living in condor-populated regions could keep these
monarchs of the sky aloft for future generations to watch in wide-eyed wonder.
In my next blog I will tell of my most recent condor
encounters – Andean Condors in the Ecuador Andes. Tune in again.
Houston, D. C. 1994. Cathartidae (New
World Vultures). In: del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.
(ed.),Handbook of the birds of the world, pp. 24-41. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona , Spain
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Vultur gryphus. http://www.birdlife.org
Above photos by W.Fogleman
Above photos by W.Fogleman
