“The Ventana Wildlife Society is one of our partners in the conservation of the California condor,” said Michael Mace, Wild Animal Park curator of birds. “To date, the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park has sent 34 condors for release to the condor sanctuary in Big Sur. Ventana’s success is as important as our success in reestablishing this critically endangered species in California.”

Two condors were lost and are presumed dead after a June wildfire burned for more than a month through Big Sur, California, where the Ventana Wildlife Society operates its condor sanctuary. Two birds have not been located since the fires began in June, including condor No. 278, a male that hatched at the Wild Animal Park.

“It’s hard to put a value on the loss of a 6-year-old male that was about to breed and an up and coming female,” said Joe Burnett, Ventana Wildlife Society senior wildlife biologist. “It’s devastating to lose any birds. We can rebuild the pens, but we cant replace the birds.”

Big Sur is home to more than 40 wild condors, including mature condors that are now breeding in the wild. Three condor nests are within the burned area. Ventana Wildlife Society biologists entered two of the three nests, finding the chicks alive and healthy this week. The biologists suspect the third chick is also alive after observing the parents continuously returning to the nest. Unfortunately the fires aftermath created conditions that prevent the biologists from entering this nest.

The $10,000 donation from the San Diego Zoo will help replace equipment and supplies so that field biologists in Big Sur can continue to track the free-flying condors and monitor the nests. Contributions from individuals to the San Diego Zoo’s California Condor Relief Effort will help offset the Zoo’s donation and can be made by visiting the Zoo’s California Condor Conservation Website at www.cacondorconservation.org .

“Our whole goal is to get up and running without delay in our efforts to return the condor back into the wild so that it is once again self-sustaining,” said Kelly Sorenson, Ventana Wildlife Society executive director. “The Zoological Society of San Diego is playing a big part in helping us get back up and running.”

The 1,800-acre San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park (more than half of which has been set aside as protected native species habitat) is operated by the not-for-profit Zoological Society of San Diego. The Zoological Society, dedicated to the conservation of endangered species and their habitats, engages in conservation and research work around the globe and is responsible for maintaining accredited horticultural, animal, library, and photo collections. The Zoological Society also manages the 100-acre San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo’s Beckman Center for Conservation Research. The important conservation and science work of these entities is supported in part by the Foundation for the Zoological Society of San Diego.

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“Packy is a the most famous animal at our Zoo, so it’s only natural that he’d be chosen as father of the year,” said Tony Vecchio, Oregon Zoo director.

Forty-six-year-old Packy is dad to Sung-Surin (Shine) and Rama, both 25-years-old.

“We just finished a campaign for Zoo Mother of the Year, and found it was a fun way to initiate a relationship between the public and the highlighted animals,” said Vecchio. “As the public reads about the nominees, all of which belong to species that are either threatened or endangered, we hope they’ll come to understand and care about the challenges facing these animals in the wild.”

The Zoo is a service of Metro and is dedicated to its mission to inspire the community to create a better future for wildlife. Committed to conservation, the Zoo is currently working to save endangered California condors, Washington’s pygmy rabbits, Oregon silverspot butterflies, western pond turtles, Oregon spotted frogs and Kincaid’s lupine. Other projects include studies on black rhinos, Asian elephants, polar bears and bats.

The Zoo opens at 8 a.m. daily and is located five minutes from downtown Portland, just off Highway 26. The Zoo is also accessible by MAX light rail line. Zoo visitors are encouraged to ride MAX or take TriMet bus No. 63 to the Oregon Zoo. Visitors who take the bus or MAX receive $1 off zoo admission. Call TriMet Customer Service, 503-238-RIDE (7433), or visit www.trimet.org for fare and route information.

General admission is $9.75 (12-64), seniors $8.25 (65+), children $6.75 (3-11), and infants 2 and under are free; 25 cents of the admission price helps fund regional conservation projects through the Zoo’s Future for Wildlife program. A parking fee of $1 per car is also required. Additional information is available at www.oregonzoo.org or by calling 503-226-1561.
# # #

Oregon Zoo ̈ 4001 SW Canyon Rd. ̈ Portland, Oregon 97221 ̈ 503-226-1561

Contacts: Bill LaMarche 503-220-2448 (office) or 503-497-5812 (pager)
Linda D’Ae-Smith 503-220-5716 (office) or 503-441-7573 (pager)

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The last California condor chick of 2008 pecked through its shell the morning of June 3, marking the conclusion of another banner breeding season at the Zoo’s Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation. The chick was the fifth to hatch this season at the off-site center.

The following morning, a chick that keepers had helped into the world with a dramatic assisted hatching last month died during emergency surgery, necessitated after its digestive tract had shut down.

The loss was especially disheartening, because the young condor appeared to have turned the corner and was getting stronger following a rocky start to life. On May 7, Zoo staff worked valiantly to hatch the underweight and shell-bound bird, then nursed it through a week of antibiotics and a blood transfusion from adult condor Nootka. To see video of the assisted hatch, visit www.oregonzoo.org/VideoArchive/CondorHatch.htm.

“Keepers worked around the clock to save this chick,” said Shawn St. Michael, condor curator. “When the chick stopped defecating, our only option was surgery.”

Despite sadness over the recent loss, keepers are excited about the newest hatchling, produced by condors Woy and Wiloq.

“We were a little apprehensive about this hatch, because Woy and Wiloq are a very young pair,” said St. Michael. “In light of our recent loss, we decided to foster the egg to a more experienced pair, Atishwin and Ojai, who had been sitting on a dummy egg up to this point.”

“Each new hatch brings us one step closer to species recovery,” said St. Michael. “Our program is relatively new, but growing in strength each year.”

The Oregon Zoo’s condor recovery efforts take place at the Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation, located in rural Clackamas County on Metro-owned open space. The remoteness of the facility minimizes the exposure of young condors to people, increasing the chances for captive-hatched birds to survive and breed in the wild.

The center is currently home to 30 condors and has produced 15 eggs since it was established. Of the 15 eggs produced, 14 chicks have survived. Thus far, four condors bred at the center have been released into the wild. Kun Wak Shun (No. 340) was released at California’s Pinnacles National Monument in 2005, while Tatoosh (No. 367), Ursa (No. 404) and Wiley (No. 420) were released earlier this year at the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument in northern Arizona.

In 2001, the Oregon Zoo became the third zoo in the nation to join the California Condor Recovery Program. California condor captive-breeding programs are also operated at San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, the Los Angeles Zoo and the Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey. The Oregon Zoo received The Wildlife Society’s conservation award in 2005 for “creating the nation’s fourth California condor breeding facility.”

For more information about the Oregon Zoo’s California condors, visit www.oregonzoo.org/Condors/index.htm. For Oregon Zoo condor biographies, visit www.oregonzoo.org/Condors/condorBios.htm.

Condors, the largest land birds in North America, have wingspans of up to 10 feet and weigh 18 to 30 pounds. They are highly intelligent and inquisitive, often engaging in play. During the Pleistocene Era, which ended about 10,000 years ago, condors’ range extended across much of North America. By 1940, that range had been reduced to the coastal mountains of Southern California, and in 1967 condors were added to the first federal list of endangered species. In 1987, the 17 condors remaining in the wild were brought into captivity and a captive-breeding program was developed.

The Zoo is a service of Metro and is dedicated to its mission to inspire the community to create a better future for wildlife. Committed to conservation, the Zoo is currently working to save endangered California condors, Washington’s pygmy rabbits, Oregon silverspot butterflies, Oregon spotted frogs and western pond turtles. Other projects include studies on black rhinos, Asian elephants, polar bears and bats.

The Zoo opens at 8 a.m. daily and is located five minutes from downtown Portland, just off Highway 26. The zoo is also accessible by MAX light rail line. Zoo visitors are encouraged to ride MAX or take TriMet bus No. 63 to the Oregon Zoo. Visitors who take the bus or MAX receive $1 off Zoo admission. Call TriMet Customer Service, 503-238-RIDE (7433), or visit www.trimet.org for fare and route information.

General admission is $9.75 (12-64), seniors $8.25 (65+), children $6.75 (3-11), and infants 2 and under are free; 25 cents of the admission price helps fund regional conservation projects through the zoo’s Future for wildlife program. A parking fee of $1 per car is also required. Additional information is available at www.oregonzoo.org or by calling 503-226-1561.
# # #

Oregon Zoo ̈ 4001 SW Canyon Rd. ̈ Portland, Oregon 97221 ̈ 503-226-1561

Contacts: Bill LaMarche 503-220-2448 (office) or 503-497-5812 (pager)
Linda D’Ae-Smith 503-220-5716 (office) or 503-441-7573 (pager)

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“We just finished a campaign for Zoo Mother of the Year, and found it was a fun way to initiate a relationship between the public and the highlighted animals,” said Tony Vecchio, zoo director. “As the public reads about the nominees, all of which belong to species that are either threatened or endangered, we hope they’ll come to understand and care about the challenges facing these animals in the wild.”

On-line votes will be accepted until 5 p.m. Thursday, June 12. The zoo will announce its 2008 Zoo Father of the Year Friday, June 13, at 10 a.m. The zoo is a service of Metro and is dedicated to its mission to inspire the community to create a better future for wildlife. Committed to conservation, the zoo is currently working to save endangered California condors, Washington’s pygmy rabbits, Oregon silverspot butterflies, western pond turtles, Oregon spotted frogs and Kincaid’s lupine. Other projects include studies on black rhinos, Asian elephants, polar bears and bats.

The zoo opens at 9 a.m. daily and is located five minutes from downtown Portland, just off Highway 26. The zoo is also accessible by MAX light rail line. Zoo visitors are encouraged to ride MAX or take TriMet bus No. 63 to the Oregon Zoo. Visitors who take the bus or MAX receive $1 off zoo admission. Call TriMet Customer Service, 503-238-RIDE (7433), or visit www.trimet.org for fare and route information.

General admission is $9.75 (12-64), seniors $8.25 (65+), children $6.75 (3-11), and infants 2 and under are free; 25 cents of the admission price helps fund regional conservation projects through the zoo’s Future for Wildlife program. A parking fee of $1 per car is also required. Additional information is available at www.oregonzoo.org or by calling 503-226-1561.

# # #

Contacts: Bill LaMarche 503-220-2448 (office) or 503-497-5812 (pager)
Linda D’Ae-Smith 503-220-5716 (office) or 503-441-7573 (pager)

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In the early hours of May 7, zoo staff worked feverishly to hatch the underweight and shell-bound bird. Monitoring the egg at the zoo’s Jonsson enter for Wildlife Conservation, keepers determined it would not be able to hatch alone. Fearing the chick would suffocate, they stepped in and helped, worst-case scenario for them. The chick was removed from the nesting room and immediately transferred to an indoor facility, where keepers broke away part of the shell and removed the chick.

“The hatch went well, but it was an extremely small chick, our lowest watch-weight yet,” said Shawn St. Michael, Oregon Zoo condor curator. “It is common for chicks to be pretty quiet for the first 24 hours after hatch. It’s an exhausting process. But we became concerned when this chick failed to perk up the way we would expect after his rest.”

St. Michael and condor keepers provided around-the-clock care, administering antibiotics and enlisting the help of an adult condor, Nootka, for a life-saving blood donation.

“Thanks to the hard work of our staff, this chick is looking good now, and we expect it will be just fine,” said St. Michael. “The chick will be puppet-reared by human foster parents and later mentored by another adult
condor.”

The assisted hatch is the fourth successful hatch of 2008, with one more expected in early June.

To see a video of the condor chick’s dramatic assisted hatch, visit www.oregonzoo.org/VideoArchive/CondorHatch.htm

The Oregon Zoo’s condor recovery efforts take place at the Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation, located in rural Clackamas County on Metro-owned open space. The remoteness of the facility minimizes the exposure of young condors to people, increasing the chances for captive-hatched birds to survive and breed in the wild.

The Jonsson Center is currently home to 30 condors. The center has produced 15 eggs since it was established and 14 chicks have hatched.

In 2001, the Oregon Zoo became the third zoo in the nation to join the California Condor Recovery Program. California condor captive-breeding programs are also operated at San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, the Los Angeles Zoo and the Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey. The Oregon Zoo was the recipient of The Wildlife Society’s Conservation Award for “creating the nation’s fourth California condor breeding facility” in April 2005.

For more information about the Oregon Zoo’s California condors, visit http://www.oregonzoo.org/Condors/index.htm. For Oregon Zoo condor biographies, visit http://www.oregonzoo.org/Condors/condorBios.htm.

Condors, the largest land birds in North America, have wingspans of up to 10 feet and weigh 18 to 30 pounds. They are highly intelligent and inquisitive, often engaging in play. During the Pleistocene Era, which ended about 10,000 years ago, condors’ range extended across much of North America. By 1940, that range had been reduced to the coastal mountains of Southern California, and in 1967 condors were added to the first federal list of endangered species. In 1987, the 17 condors remaining in the wild were brought into captivity and a captive-breeding program was developed.

The zoo is a service of Metro and is dedicated to its mission to inspire the community to create a better future for wildlife. Committed to conservation, the zoo is currently working to save Washington’s pygmy rabbits, Oregon silverspot butterflies, western pond turtles, Oregon spotted frogs and Kincaid’s lupine, in addition to California condors. Other projects include studies on black rhinos, Asian elephants, polar bears and bats.

The zoo opens at 9 a.m. daily and is located five minutes from downtown Portland, just off Highway 26. The zoo is also accessible by MAX light rail line. Zoo visitors are encouraged to ride MAX or take TriMet bus No. 63 to the Oregon Zoo. Visitors who take the bus or MAX receive $1 off zoo admission. Call TriMet Customer Service, 503-238-RIDE (7433), or visit www.trimet.org for fare and route information.

General admission is $9.75 (12-64), seniors $8.25 (65+), children $6.75 (3-11), and infants 2 and under are free; 25 cents of the admission price helps fund regional conservation projects through the zoo’s Future for Wildlife program. A parking fee of $1 per car is also required. Additional information is available at www.oregonzoo.org or by calling 503-226-1561.

# # #
Oregon Zoo ̈ 4001 SW Canyon Rd. ̈ Portland, Oregon 97221 ̈ 503-226-1561

Contacts: Bill LaMarche 503-220-2448 (office) or 503-497-5812 (pager)
Linda D’Ae-Smith 503-220-5716 (office) or 503-441-7573 (pager)

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What about humans who eat game killed by lead bullets? A Peregrine Fund study sampled 30 white-tailed deer killed under normal hunting conditions in northern Wyoming with standard lead-core, copper-jacketed bullets fired from a high-powered rifle. X-Rays of all 30 deer showed widespread dispersal of lead fragments in the carcasses, ranging in size from smaller than a grain of salt to the size of a sesame seed.

Even after the meat was processed for standard preparation of ground meat and boneless steaks, there were still lead fragments in the packaged meat!

“Our results suggest that people may frequently ingest metallic lead when they consume deer killed with lead-based bullets and processed by normal procedures,” said Rick Watson, vice president of The Peregrine Fund. “We have known for years that lead residues from bullets poison birds of prey and other scavengers…now it appears that this dangerous contaminant exists in food that people eat as well.”

In 2007, 80 percent of hunters voluntarily switched to non-lead ammunition in condor country or removed deer gut piles after learning about the effects of lead on condors. Condor deaths dropped from four in 2006 to none in 2007.

“We believe that copper bullets will become the ammunition of choice for hunters to benefit themselves, their families, and wildlife,” Watson added.

Thanks to the California condors, the human food supply of venison will be much safer.

For the full press release, please click here.

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“X-rays revealed that processed ground venison from 80 percent of the deer sampled in the research contained metal fragments,” said Rick Watson, vice president of The Peregrine Fund, a raptor conservation organization. Further tests revealed that 92 percent of those metal particles were lead.

“This is one more piece of evidence that points to lead bullets as a source of contamination in our environment,” Watson said. “We have known for years that lead residues from bullets poison birds of prey and other scavengers. Now it appears that this dangerous contaminant exists in food that people eat as well.”

No amount of lead is considered safe in pregnant women and children because even tiny amounts can cause brain development and behavioral problems in children. Amounts formerly considered safe in adults recently have been found to increase rates of death from heart attack and stroke.

The Peregrine Fund’s study sampled 30 white-tailed deer killed under normal hunting conditions in northern Wyoming with standard lead-core, copper-jacketed bullets fired from a high-powered rifle. X-rays of all 30 deer show widespread dispersal of lead fragments in the carcasses consistent with previous research. The fragments ranged in size from smaller than a grain of table salt to as large as a sesame seed.

“Some of it was closer to dust than a measurable fragment,” Watson said. “Without an x-ray, you would never know it was there.”

For the study, each of the 30 carcasses was taken to a different commercial meat processor for standard preparation of ground meat and boneless steaks in 2-pound packages. Even though processors routinely cut out and discard meat around the wound and along the bullet’s path inside the animal, fragments still ended up in packaged meat.

In addition to the ground meat packages, metal fragments also were found in packages of steaks. Of 16 deer carcasses with metal fragments near the spine, four showed fragments in the loin steaks. Some individual packages of both ground meat and steaks showed up to nine lead fragments, while others showed few or none, making it difficult for consumers to predict which packages might contain lead.

“Our results suggest that people may frequently ingest metallic lead when they consume deer killed with lead-based bullets and processed by normal procedures,” Watson said. “Fortunately, using copper bullets is a viable option to avoid the risk of lead exposure.”

The Peregrine Fund began studying the dangers of lead-based ammunition after endangered California Condors became sick or died from lead poisoning. The organization leads the condor recovery program in Arizona. Condors are bred and hatched at The Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise and released to the wild near the Grand Canyon.

Peregrine Fund research showed that the large scavengers were poisoned after feeding on carcasses and gut piles from hunter-killed game. In 2007, 80 percent of hunters voluntarily used non-lead ammunition in condor country or removed deer gut piles after learning about the effects of lead on condors. Condor deaths dropped from four in 2006 to none in 2007.

“We believe that copper bullets will become the ammunition of choice for hunters to benefit themselves, their families, and wildlife,” Watson said.

###

Established in 1970, The Peregrine Fund works worldwide to conserve biological diversity by restoring endangered birds of prey and identifying their key environmental threats, ecology, and relationships with humans. The organization restores rare species through captive breeding and releases, conserves habitat, improves capacity for local conservation, and conducts scientific research and environmental education.

www.peregrinefund.org
CONTACT
Susan Whaley, public relations coordinator
(208) 362-8274 direct
(208) 860-2641 cell
(208) 362-3716 main

Download related photos at http://www.peregrinefund.org/lead_photos.asp

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The latest egg was laid April 7 by Wiloq. She and her mate, Woy, will sit on the egg for up to two weeks before keepers remove it to test its fertility.

“The eggs are naturally incubated for 10 to 14 days,” said Shawn St. Michael, Zoo assistant curator. “Then they are pulled, candled, put into an incubator and replaced with dummy eggs.”

When the chicks start to hatch, at about 57 days, keepers switch the eggs back, so the chicks will hatch under their parents. If keepers decide to encourage Woy and Wiloq to mate again (also called “double clutching”), they may remove Wiloq’s dummy egg.

Unfortunately, an abundance of eggs does not guarantee an abundance of chicks. Of the seven eggs laid last year, only three condor chicks hatched. The low fertility was likely due to the number of young females in the program. Last year’s eggs included two from condor pairs that had never produced eggs before.

The Zoo’s condor recovery efforts take place at the Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation, located in Clackamas County on Metro-owned open space. The remoteness of the facility minimizes the exposure of young condors. The Jonsson Center is currently home to 26 condors. The center has produced 15 eggs since it was established and 10 chicks have hatched.

In 2001, the Oregon Zoo became the third zoo in the nation to join the California Condor Recovery Program. California condor captive-breeding programs are also operated at San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, the Los Angeles Zoo and the Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey. The Oregon Zoo was the recipient of The Wildlife Society’s Conservation Award for “creating the nation’s fourth California condor breeding facility” in
April 2005.

For more information about the Oregon Zoo’s California condors, visit http://www.oregonzoo.org/Condors/index.htm . For Oregon Zoo condor biographies, visit http://www.oregonzoo.org/Condors/condorBios.htm.

Condors, the largest land birds in North America, have wingspans of up to 10 feet and weigh 18 to 30 pounds. They are highly intelligent and inquisitive, often engaging in play. During the Pleistocene Era, which ended about 10,000 years ago, condors’ range extended across much of North America. By 1940, that range had been reduced to the coastal mountains of Southern California, and in 1967 condors were added to the first federal list of endangered species. In 1987, the 17 condors remaining in the wild were brought into
captivity and a captive-breeding program was developed.

The Zoo is a service of Metro and is dedicated to its mission to inspire the community to create a better future for wildlife. Committed to conservation, the Zoo is currently working to save endangered Washington pygmy rabbits, Oregon silverspot butterflies, western pond turtles and Kincaid’s lupine, in addition to California condors. Other projects include studies on black rhinos, Asian elephants, polar bears and bats.

The Zoo opens at 9 a.m. daily and is located five minutes from downtown Portland, just off Highway 26. The Zoo is also accessible by MAX light rail line. Zoo visitors are encouraged to ride MAX or take TriMet bus No. 63 to the Oregon Zoo. Visitors who take the bus or MAX receive $1 off zoo admission. Call TriMet Customer Service, 503-238 RIDE (7433), or visit www.trimet.org for fare and route information.

General admission is $9.75 (12-64), seniors $8.25 (65+), children $6.75 (3-11), and infants 2 and under are free; 25 cents of the admission price helps fund regional conservation projects through the Zoo’s Future for Wildlife program. A parking fee of $1 per car is also required. Additional information is available at www.oregonzoo.org or by calling 503-226-1561.

# # #
Contacts: Bill LaMarche 50-220-2448 (office) or 503-497-5812 (pager)

Linda D’Ae-Smith 503-220-5716 (office) or 503-441-7573 (pager)

Oregon Zoo ̈ 4001 SW Canyon Rd. ̈ Portland, Oregon 97221 ̈ 503-226-1561

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The hatchling, the 140th at the Wild Animal Park, will be raised through the process of puppet rearing, in which keepers feed the chick with a condor puppet to disguise their presence. At a month old, the chick will be gradually introduced to visual contact with other condors. By five to six months of age, the condor chick will fledge and join a mentor bird that will teach the youngster how to behave like a condor in preparation for possible release into the wild.

The California condor was near extinction in the 1980s when the world population of this species hit a low of 22 individuals. Since then, thanks to a multi-agency effort, the condor now numbers nearly 300 birds.

The California Condor Recovery Program is built upon a foundation of private and public partnerships. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service implements the recovery program in partnership with other U.S. and Mexican government agencies, the Zoological Society of San Diego, Los Angeles Zoo, The Peregrine Fund, Oregon Zoo, Chapultepec Zoo, Ventana Wilderness Society and the National Park Service among others.

The 1,800-acre San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park (more than half of which has been set aside as protected native species habitat) is operated by the not-for-profit Zoological Society of San Diego. The Zoological Society, dedicated to the conservation of endangered species and their habitats, engages in conservation and research work around the globe. The Zoological Society also manages the 100-acre San Diego Zoo and the department of Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES), and is working to establish field stations in five key ecological areas worldwide.

CONTACT: Public Relations
619-685-3291
WEB SITE: www.wildanimalpark.org

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The issue gained new urgency last week when health officials in North Dakota pulled hunter-donated venison from food pantries after the discovery of lead fragments in about 60 percent of the meat tested. As a result, state officials in Minnesota and Iowa took similar precautions. The meat had been donated by hunters to help feed the needy.

“We were sufficiently concerned about lead exposure from ammunition fragments in game meat to organize this conference,” said Rick Watson, vice president of The Peregrine Fund, which leads the condor recovery program in Arizona. “Condors are sickened and some die from this source of lead exposure. It seemed plausible they may be a warning of human exposure as well.”

Condors are bred and hatched at the organization’s World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise and released to the wild near the Grand Canyon. The huge birds are scavengers that can ingest the tiny fragments of lead bullets after feeding on carcasses and gut piles of deer killed by hunters.

In the fall 2007 hunting season, 80 percent of hunters helped reduce lead exposure in condors by voluntarily using copper bullets or not leaving gut piles in the field, according to the Arizona Game and Fish Department. That’s up from a 60 percent compliance rate in 2006. No condors died in 2007; four condors died of lead poisoning in 2006.

“A viable solution exists in the form of bullets made from solid copper,” Watson said. “Copper bullets do not fragment like lead bullets do.”

No amount of lead is considered safe in humans. Contamination is especially serious in pregnant woman and children because even tiny amounts can cause brain development and behavioral problems in children. Amounts formerly considered safe in adults recently have been found to increase rates of death from heart attack and stroke.

The Peregrine Fund currently is studying the amount of lead in venison from deer shot with high-velocity lead bullets, which fragment into hundreds of tiny pieces upon impact. Published research has shown that these fragments are deposited in the animal several inches away from the bullet’s entry point. Preliminary results of the current study will be released at the conference in May. The final report will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.

The tests on venison that led to last week’s action in North Dakota were conducted by Dr. William Cornatzer, an avid hunter and a member of The Peregrine Fund board. After hearing of the lead problem with condors, Cornatzer decided to see for himself how much lead may be contained in game meat. With the help of health officials, Cornatzer collected about 100 1-pound packages of ground venison from food pantries in December and ran CT scans on the meat.

“This isn’t just a food pantry problem. This is a nationwide problem,” Cornatzer told the Associated Press.

The North Dakota Health Department confirmed the presence of lead in its own tests. Cornatzer plans to present his findings at the conference in Boise in May. For more information about the conference, please visit http://www.peregrinefund.org/Lead_conference/default.htm

CONTACT: Susan Whaley, public relations coordinator

(208) 362-8274 direct

(208) 860-2641 cell

(208) 362-3716 main

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