More Nests…

Through the winter months searching for wild condor nest sites yielded one new nest in February, two in March, as well as a surprise nest in April. After a hectic few months Southern California now has five active condor nest sites!

Our population’s most dominant male, condor No. 107 and his mate, Ventana’s condor 161, have committed to their fourth nesting attempt. The pair successfully fledged a chick in 2004, tragically lost a chick at the nest in 2006 and in 2007 they fledged a chick that died shortly after a devastating wildfire passed through the region. We have high hopes that this pair will fledge their chick once again this season.

The first wild egg laid in March was by condor No. 289. This nest took some effort to find in the remote canyons of the Sespe Condor Sanctuary, a large tract of wilderness set aside by the U.S. Forest Service to protect condor-nesting habitat. No. 289, the youngest condor of breeding age this season, has chosen one of our populations oldest males, condor 98. She will be his fourth mate since his first nesting attempt in 2002 and we hope they will prove to be a successful pairing.

The next breeding pair of the season is a 7-year-old male, condor 237, and an 8-year-old female, No. 214. They were the foster parents of the 2006 fledgling, No. 412, the second chick to fledge from a wild nest in California. Condor 412’s success was a result of a change in nest management strategies to enhance nest success in the wild and has resulted in the development of the nest-guarding program.

The fifth nest of the season came as bit of a surprise nearly a month later. Condors 111 & 125, which successfully fledged No. 450 in 2007, were still actively caring for this young bird. Quite suddenly, they were no longer being observed with condor 450. She had only recently left her parents’ nesting territory. To our great surprise, we discovered 111 in a cavity incubating a newly laid egg. While it is uncommon for condors to nest in consecutive years it has been known to occur in the wild. We eventually located condor 450 at a supplemental feeding site 45 miles away from her natal area in Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge interacting with other juveniles within the population. This is a benchmark towards her independence as she will begin to fend for herself at roosting and feeding sites with the many juveniles condors that frequent this refuge.

It is a time reminiscent of the period of pre-in house managed care program, with a total of seven active nests in California. Of the seven nests sites, five are in Southern California and two are located along the central California coast.

Stay tuned for Part II when Joseph enters a nest with an egg.

Read the rest of this entry >
< Show Less

As complicated as flying the birds to the site is, the ground route proved even more troublesome. Even with the best advanced preparation for this trip we ended up delayed at the border for several hours more than expected, which convinced me that in the future we’ll be flying the birds to Mexico whenever possible. Luckily the cool temperature day made the trip tolerable for the birds and by that evening the birds were jockeying for position high up on release site aviary perches. They will remain in quarantine at the site for about a month and will be tested for specific diseases by SAGARPA (USDA counterpart) before they can be re-released.

Once we have permission from Mexico, we will be able to dramatically reduce the risk of food contamination by testing all carcasses and animal parts given to the birds with our new digital, field x-ray machine.

Many groups and individuals helped make this condor recovery effort a success, starting with Juan and Catalina in the field trapping, testing and helping to move the birds to San Diego, followed by the efforts of the veterinarians and medical staff at the Wild Animal Park’s Paul Harter Veterinary Medical Center, organized and coordinated by Dr. Jeff Zuba. Managing the isolation and medical treatment of such a large group (beginning with 11 birds) was a challenge for the keeper/vet staff. Valerie Stoddard now has the International Health Certificate process engrained in her mind. Thanks also to our new condor post doctoral fellow, James Sheppard and vet keepers for doing condor watch while they were in the recuperation pens.

Thanks to Elvia de la Cruz and Eduardo Peters in INE for the fast work with the Mexico CITES and the HRZ and Dave Rimlinger and Carol Dittmer for hanging in there with the US CITES export permits. Dr. Fernando Sanchez continues to do the amazing job of coordinating passage through the frenzy of stamps and signatures from four agencies at the Mexican border, which are required to move the birds from one country to the other. Sheila and Fatima from the Wild Animal Park’s condor department helped drive birds back to the Sierra. Without these folks and more, we would not have a condor release program in Baja.

Read the rest of this entry >
< Show Less

It is 7:15 when the 150 lbs of gear is loaded onto ATVs and the four of us are ready to make our way to the nest cliff. It will be a short ride and then about an hour hike to reach the top of the nest cliff. At 8:30 we reached the steep slopes above the nest cliff. Each nest is like a puzzle with a variety of challenges to overcome in order to get to it. For some, the routes to the nest cliff present the biggest challenge. Many are on very steep exposed terrain. In this case, the rappel to the nest will prove to be the much more difficult than the hike. It will require close to 500 feet of rope and portions of the descent, especially the last 100 feet, will be on near vertical terrain made up of loose rocks and the occasional cliff side shrub.

It’s 9:30 and I radio the nest observer across the canyon to inform her that I am going to begin my decent. From this point on, she will be my navigator as I make my way down the cliff. She will also inform me of the attending parent’s behavior so I know what to expect when I reach the nest. I weight the rope and the anchors we’ve built out of this recently sunken rebar and the webbing that distributes the weight evenly across them barely even flexes; this is a good sign. As always, we’ve built an anchor that is redundant, capable of withstanding forces much greater than my body weight and the 40 lbs of gear that I am carrying. The consequences of a fall would be life threatening and I’ve got no plans to end up as condor food just yet.

It is our first time rappelling on this nest cliff so the decent takes longer than normal. I need to be careful about lose rock and veering off course so I descend slowly trying to make mental notes about the terrain for future entries. I am only about 10 feet above the nest with the female, condor 79, looking up at me from the nest porch. I anticipate that as I approach she will flush from the nest and leave me to candle the egg and sift the nest substrate for any trash that she or her mate may have brought to the nest. In the eight other nests I’ve entered, this is what I’ve come to expect of these giant birds. Perhaps she might re-land while I am there, keeping her distance while doing her best to let her size and presence intimidate me.

A few moments later I discover that condor 79 has a different game plan. Upon arriving at the nest, I quickly remove my pack and grab my camera to fire off a few photos of her, who has yet to evacuate the nest. She has taken a stereotypical defensive posture with her head lower, mouth gaping, and wings partially extended. I turn to prep the equipment needed to candle the egg and a few seconds later I hear the frantic voice of the nest observer over the radio. Her warning was just in time as I turn to see 79 approaching with the intent to use her powerful beak to defend her nest. Allowing the parents to remain perched at edge of the nest seems to be less stressful on the parents rather than continually flushing them away. I move into a position within arms reach of the egg and try to encourage the worried mother to fly off. She hops off to a nearby ledge.

I discover that the cavity has a small window that opens up to the ledge she is perched on. It is not big enough for her to fit through but as I go to candle the egg, I am within striking distance of her powerful beak. I remove my helmet and place it in front of the window. In order to candle the egg I must create a makeshift dark room in the nest. I do this by draping a tarp over my head and use a high powered flash light to illuminate the egg so I might see its contents. With my head under the tarp the sound of 79 pecking at my helmet is reassuring. As long as I hear her there I know she is not sneaking to the front of the nest where my legs are exposed to her bite. I am now focused at the task at hand. I am careful not to make any sudden movements while handling the precious egg. I keep it in the position that I find it in, only raising it a few inches and holding it to the light. I can only make out the air cell and a dark shadow with faint lines extending into the unlit portions of the egg, but the shadow’s movement is a sure sign of a of a fertile egg!

My attention is completely focused on positioning the egg exactly as I found it and I am unaware that the periodic taps on my helmet have stopped. Condor 79 has returned to the nest entrance. I feel a tug at my paint leg as she lets me know that I am unwelcome at the nest. I quickly sift through the cavity substrate searching for any trash items that the chick could later ingest. Luckily, I’ve remembered to tether my backpack to the rope as well because the condor has pulled it over the edge of the nest in hopes to send it the remaining hundred feet to the canyon floor!

I am happy to discover the nest is clean, 79 turns her focus to the egg as I move to the other side of the cavity. She slowly steps into the cavity and stands over the egg looking down at it. With my gear stowed away I am ready to make my exit. I begin the ascent back up to the rest of the team who have been patiently waiting in case I was in need of any support. Condor 79 is now fully focused on her egg using her beak to manipulate the egg and I can see first hand just how gentle a condor can be with its beak. I make the climb back up to the top set of anchors with a feeling of satisfaction. A fertile egg and a mother who is more than willing to defend her nest from any intruders means there is little chance we will need to do more for this pair during the egg stage. In years to come, this pair’s ability to produce fertile eggs will only improve so this first egg is a strong indication of future egg success. This is an excellent start to what we hope to be another fruitful breeding season.

Read the rest of this entry >
< Show Less

The young birds were bred and hatched in captivity at the Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho. The Peregrine Fund is a conservation organization that recovers endangered birds of prey around the world.

“It’s always a thrill to add more individuals to this growing flock, but these birds will face many challenges growing up, especially the danger of lead poisoning, their leading cause of death,” said Chris Parish, the Peregrine Fund biologist leading the recovery effort.

Condors are scavengers that sometimes feed on hunter-killed game animals, which frequently contain tiny fragments of lead that the birds ingest. The Peregrine Fund and Arizona Game and Fish Department have worked together the last three years to educate hunters about this potential danger and urge them to switch to non-lead bullets while hunting in condor territory.

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

“We applaud hunters’ efforts in helping us recover the condor,” Parish said.

The doors to the pen where the young condors will be released to the wild will be opened at 11 a.m.

Driving directions: Take Highway 89A from Kanab or Page to the Vermilion Cliffs (from Flagstaff take Highway 89 to Highway 89A). Turn north onto BLM Road 1065 (a dirt road next to the small house just east of the Kaibab Plateau) and continue about 2 miles. There is a shade structure on the right side of the road.

Driving times: From Flagstaff, 2.75 hours; Fredonia, 1 hour; Page, 1.75 hours; Phoenix, 5 hours.

Bring: binoculars, sunscreen, water, snack.

BACKGROUND

• The Peregrine Fund will sponsor a conference in Boise, May 12-15, for biologists, health providers and representatives of the sporting industry to discuss the implications of ingesting lead ammunition on wildlife and humans.

Information: http://www.peregrinefund.org/Lead_conference/default.htm

• This is the 12th year that condor chicks have been released in Arizona.

• The Arizona flock currently numbers 65, including six condors that have been born in the wild since releases began in 1996. The Arizona birds have established territories primarily in the Grand Canyon and Vermilion Cliffs of northern Arizona and portions of southern Utah.

• The total number of endangered California Condors is 298, with 144 birds flying free in California, Arizona and Mexico. The birds were nearly extinct in the 1980s when 22 birds existed in the world.

• The condor is the largest flying land bird in North America. The birds can weigh up to 26 pounds and have a wingspan up to 9 ½ feet.

• Spring and summer are the best times to see condors flying free at the Grand Canyon.

• The condor reintroduction in Arizona is a joint project of many partners, including Arizona Game and Fish Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Peregrine Fund, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Kaibab National Forest and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

• For more information about California Condors, visit The Peregrine Fund Website at www.peregrinefund.org or the Arizona Game and Fish Department website at www.azgfd.gov/condor.

The Peregrine FundWorld Center for Birds of Prey

5668 W. Flying Hawk Lane, Boise, ID 83709

NEWS RELEASE

For immediate release

Feb. 19, 2008

www.peregrinefund.org

CONTACT

Susan Whaley, public relations coordinator

(208) 362-8274 direct, (208) 860-2641 cell

Bill Heinrich, species restoration manager

(208) 362-8276 direct, (208) 890-0163 cell

###

Read the rest of this entry >
< Show Less

Condor 79 was released in 1992 as part of the “red cohort” (condors with red I.D. tags on their wings), and was caught again several months later because of behavioral problems which included landing on power poles. Three out of the six “red cohort” condors died shortly after release, mainly due to collisions with power lines. After more behavioral problems, the remaining three birds were eventually returned to conservation programs. No. 79 would spend the next 12 years in the Los Angeles Zoo, where she would produce three offspring. She was finally released at Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge in November 2006.

In late fall of 2007, No. 247 began to show interest in Condor 79. No. 247 is a young male condor and a rising contender for dominance in the Southern California condor population. He was born at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park and released into the wild in August 2002. Other than being treated at Los Angeles Zoo in June 2003 for a leg injury, he has mostly remained a wild bird since his release. Condor 247 has come of age quickly and shown himself as a much more dominant bird in the last several years. This dominance has proved itself to be worthwhile with his courtship and pairing of the much older female condor 79.

Female condors are generally more interested in, and therefore more likely to mate with a more dominant male, which usually tends to be an older male. No. 79 is 15 years old and being the oldest female condor in the wild should have a wide range of males to choose from. Condor males usually don’t breed until their sixth year. Condor 247 is about six and a half years old, making this an unusual pairing between an older female and a young male.

Their first breeding attempt was successful by producing the first egg of this season in late January. Both birds have been sharing the duty of incubating the egg since being laid. Nest monitors from the Santa Barbara Zoo and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have been intensely watching the nest since it was found with the hope of preventing any problems before they become serious. This strategy was successful in the 2007 nesting season, with the 100 percent fledging of four wild condors.

Both the Santa Barbara Zoo team and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hope that this first nest of the season is a sign of good things to come for the rest of the breeding pairs of condors in California.

Read the rest of this entry >
< Show Less

Before we learned to provide “cat food” at some distance in cover the felids preferred, one desperate puma camped out for several days near a condor feeding site and would lunge aggressively at any intruders near the burro it claimed including our free flying condors. It was during this period that No. 220, who was attempting to feed on the carcass with the others suddenly appeared missing her entire tail except for one feather. Possibly a slow learner, she apparently had forgotten about an incident three years earlier when she had lost three tail feathers to an attacking puma under similar conditions.

The field crew reported that she seemed to have no problems flying and keeping up with the other birds during local and distant flights but the increase in aggressive interactions between her and the immediately subordinate females indicate otherwise. Direct behavioral observations became more sporadic as our released population of 11 birds began spending more time in the remote precipitous canyons of the east side of the sierras. It was unclear to us as the beginning (December) of breeding season approached which female of the three contenders we might see interacting with our only possible breeding male, condor 261, since No. 259 had died of lead poisoning a year earlier.

Since the GPS/satellite transmitters cannot find signals to either download or upload information to satellites when condors are in a nesting cave our best technology was nearly useless. In the deep granite canyons their radio transmitter signals were reduced and distorted as well making documenting any nesting attempt challenging.

By noting the whereabouts of all the potential breeders, we looked for who was “not” present when the rest of the population was accounted for in the GPS position data set. Since we know that incubating pairs switch off the egg every four to seven days and the only available male at the time was No. 261, we focused on which of the three adult females was missing and potentially on an egg when we could get his activity readings. When the pattern finally emerged it was not condor 218 nor No. 220 but condor 217 who he had finally chosen as a mate. By relying on their radio transmitters we eventually found the nest verifying that the once shy, subordinate female No. 217 had laid a fertile egg and later hatched a chick. Unfortunately the chick died before 30 days old but the loss might have been related to the pair’s inexperience. They had laid the egg in an old golden eagle nest and the ectoparasite build up may have been what killed it or a territorial golden eagle may have predated it; we were unable to find the chick at the 30-day nest check.

As we watched mate selection unfold in this young population of condors it appeared that health and fitness play important roles not only in who attains high social status but also, in maintaining it over time. Even seemingly small changes in health can make a significant difference in ones social status affecting their relations with all individuals in the flock.

The process of achieving the primary goal for all individuals, to efficiently leave as many “successful” offspring in the next generation as possible, becomes more interesting with species that incorporate social mechanisms to enhance their competitive edge. While condors may look different from mammalian social species that we are more familiar with the social mechanisms seem universally the same.

Read the rest of this entry >
< Show Less

Whilst contemplating the remaining skin and bones, I also pondered the dilemma of how to provide regular meals to the condors without all the meat going to the other carnivores in the region. Later that day I consulted with Juan Vargas, one of the Mexican field managers for the condor reintroduction site in Baja. Juan decided to place the following morning’s carcass at a different location so that the widely ranging and sharp-eyed condors would hopefully find it before any other animal. Unfortunately, the next day we peered through our binoculars at said carcass being devoured by another two coyotes (who seemed to be quite pleased with themselves). Frustrated, we spent the remainder of the day locating a suitable rocky outcrop upon which to design and build a new, more secure condor “restaurant”.

We found a good-sized (16 ft. long by 26 ft. deep by 15 ft. high), flat-topped granite projection close to the condor release pen on the western cliffs of Punta San Pedro. The outcrop has steep sloping sides to prevent any four-legged creature from climbing up and getting into the carcass before the condors. To be doubly sure, we strung an electric fence around the sides to give a rude shock to anything that tried.

Since this new condor-feeding site with improved security has been built, not a single carcass placed on it has disappeared down the gullet of anything but a California condor! Such is the nature of the condor reintroduction program. It demands that managers and researchers continuously find creative solutions to new and unforeseeable challenges and issues.

Read the rest of this entry >
< Show Less

It wasn’t long before we realized that #261 not only maintained his flying superiority over all the other condors but, with his beak healed, he was steadily climbing the social status ladder. He could easily out fly and harass the other birds in flight and somehow that flying edge seemed to translate to dominance at the carcass as well. It all seems logical now that a social flying species would spend a good portion of their airtime in dominance interactions. Perhaps condor challenge bouts in the air are equal to or even more important a mechanism for status determination than interactions we can document on the ground around a food or perch resource.

As #261 gained dominance over the 3 older females our observations of their “affiliative” interactions (who likes to be close to whom) indicated that a relationship was building between him and the previously alpha bird in the group, female #218. They could be seen feeding more closely with more tolerance than one would expect, teaming up aggressively on others and “allorubing”; making contact with the bare skin of their necks in an affiliative way. Although breeding age of 5 to six years old was still a few years away, we wondered if we were witnessing insipient pair bonding that would eventually culminate in territorial defense and a nesting attempt.

Just as this hierarchal pattern appeared to stabilize with #261 and #218 as a likely pair at the top, we documented a rapid shift. Four birds, including the “pair” made a several day excursion to the south but only three returned. A day later #218 finally made it back but was obviously limping with a swollen left foot. The ailment eventually healed on its own over a two-month period but not without noticed by her challengers, # 220 and #217. Taking advantage of #218’s compromised physical condition, #220 was able to quickly establish herself as the most dominant female of the group. It was clear that #218 had lost favor with the dominant male #261 as they spent less and less time together. We noticed within two months, however, that #220, now the reigning dominant female was taking long flights together with #261 and soon they could be seen feeding with lowered aggressive interaction and deference between them at the carcass. She now appeared to be the favored one and made that clear to the other more subordinate females. What will happen next as #220 reaches breeding age? Check back with us to find out.

Read the rest of this entry >
< Show Less

Chick No. 450 was temporarily removed from her nest for surgery related to trash. A physical exam of chick 450 at 91 days of age showed poor tail feather growth and labored and rapid respirations. We also observed a decline in activity levels prior to this entry. At 94 days old she was removed from her nest and transported to the Los Angeles Zoo by helicopter where Dr. Wynne performed surgery on the chick, removing an impaction of trash items and hair form her ventriculous. She was also diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia and treated with antibiotics before being returned to the nest 23 hours after her removal. An additional entry followed up this treatment a week later so that antibiotics could again be administered and the surgery’s suture could be checked. Observers tracked her recovery as activity levels increased and following exams showed resumed feather growth. All other entries were conducted without event with the help of the L.A. Zoo condor keepers and veterinary staff, who deserve our thanks for enduring the long and steep bushwhacks and climbs in the brutal heat of the summer months.

All chicks in Southern California had their wings fitted with VHF transmitters and tags at about 100 days of age. The decision to place patagial-mounted transmitters on chicks was not without concern as there have been some physical problems recently with wing-mounted transmitters on free flying birds. In the event of a transmitter malfunctioning or riding improperly, it would be sometime before chicks could be trapped at feeding sites for replacement or repairs increasing the chances of wing damage. These concerns were weighed against the increased ability to gather data on naturally fledging chicks, something that has not been accomplished in the past, and in the event of a problem provide the ability to intervene on the newly fledged chick’s behalf. Thus far, the transmitters have been extremely valuable in both tracking the active chicks progress as they move away from the nests to more remote locations and during the Ranch Fire. The location of condor 443 post mortem was also determined via radio telemetry. The transmitter of No. 450 has been observed in a flipped position and there is concern to the way that it is riding. This may have been due to the small cavity size of this chick’s nest where the chick may have caught its transmitter on the cavity walls while wing flapping. All other transmitters are riding without observable reason for concern. In 2008, we will be looking closely at new transmitter attachments for chicks.

Fledging came at a variety of ages for these chicks. The youngest being No. 443 took flight from the nest cliff after being harassed by an adult female from the population at 142 days old. Despite the continual harassment by this adult female, chick. 443 continued taking short flights down low in the canyon and quickly learned of other threats from terrestrial predators (black bear and bobcat) that were observed in the vicinity of her location in the lower canyon region. Regrettably, at 23 days later this chick was discovered deceased at a location about 500 meters from where she was last observed. The direct cause of her death has not yet been determined but it is likely to due to post complications following the Ranch fire, which burned through the area and the Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge in late October.

The oldest chick, No. 428, fledged at 155 days of age when she was observed taking short flights to a more removed portion of the nest cliff. Her progress has been tracked closely over the last few months and has been observed several times flying over and feeding at Hopper Mountain with her parents (about six miles from her nest site). We have been relying primarily on radio telemetry and the occasional visual to track her progress as she continues to integrate with the rest of the free flying population.

Condor 450 fledged at 179 days old on Nov. 10 – a true sign of her recovery from surgery She still remains within the nest canyon but has began roosting with her parents in a snag about 50 meters from the nest cavity. Her location makes this chick the easiest of the fledglings to observe allowing us to closely follow her interactions with her parents.

The final chick to fledge did so at 208 days of age. Chick 449 has been taking short flights and spending time on the cliff faces immediately across the canyon from the nest site. This chick seems to have of a delayed age of fledging relative to the rest of this season’s chicks. A possible explanation for this could be related to the topography in the immediate vicinity of her nest site, which is much less vertical and allows her to venture out distances of about 60 meters without taking flight. Two of the newly fledged chicks, 428 and 450, have also been observed interacting with golden eagles. In these cases the eagle has aggressively swooped down on the chicks often making contact and grounding the chicks around their nest cliffs. We have not observed any injury as a result of this aggression but this certainly could be a threat. If the parents are in the vicinity they defend the chicks by chasing the eagles away.

Read the rest of this entry >
< Show Less

The treatment consists of daily administration of two doses (one injection and one oral) of calcium EDTA that binds to the lead in the blood and flushes it out through the kidneys. Baring complications, high lead levels in blood can be reduced to near background levels within a few weeks, and in most cases, birds can be released back to the wild.

Heavy sleet/rain (over 4 inches) and winds (over 60 kts) made trapping some of the condors in Baja challenging. Field assistants Juan and Catalina did an incredible job during this event. However, field conditions and a recent drop in field staff made it impossible to efficiently and safely treat the birds in Baja.

With trapping ongoing, we tested 12 additional condors for lead on Sunday, November 25th. Five more proved positive and were relocated to the Wild Animal Park on November 26th for chelation treatment. Days later, the last two birds were tested. One proved positive and was also transported north. Of the 22 birds in Baja, all were tested; 11 were positive and in need of treatment. All birds were radiographed on arrival at the hospital and only one, #323, retained a single shotgun pellet in his gut. Attempts to retrieve it by flushing the GI tract and using a laparoscope have been, so far, unsuccessful but efforts will continue.

Condors are very hardy birds. To give some perspective, bald eagles that Dr. Pat Redig at the Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota treats for lead toxicity often die at lead contamination values just over 100 ug/dl. During the course of treating these condors, a more refined analysis of blood lead levels from an outside lab indicated that lead values in all birds were well over the 65 ug/dl (as indicated by the field lead test kit) and some values as high as 590, 600 and 640 ug/dl. Unfortunately, condor #325 died suddenly while the group was being treated. We are not sure whether it was related to the lead intoxication, the treatment, or a combination of these and other unknown factors. Of the many dozens of condors treated in this way, only two other condors have died under similar circumstances.

Since both free flying and pre-release captive birds were affected during the recent episode, it is likely that the lead was in food that we fed to both the captive and free flying groups. We buy live and dead large domestic animals from local ranchers and have to rely on the owners, when possible, for their health history and our site manager Juan’s inspection of the carcass. After the lead poisoning case in Baja of captive bird 319 in 2005, we have been scanning with a metal detector each carcass (horse, cow, or goat) for lead from potential gunshot wounds acquired earlier in the animal’s life. This technique works, but unfortunately it is only effective to a few inches in depth, which apparently still leaves sufficient risk that lead shot deeper in the tissue can go undetected.

To reduce the risk of lead contamination in the future, we acquired field, digital x-ray equipment so each carcass proffered to condors in Baja can be entirely scanned for lead prior to being fed to the birds. While cumbersome, this technique should drastically reduce the risk of future lead contamination exposure.

As reported by Wild Animal Park veterinarian Dr. Jeff Zuba, all our condors were off treatment (lead levels less than 30 ug/dl) by January 10, 2008. (Treatment lasted 1.5 to 6 weeks, depending on the contamination level of the bird.) How quickly we can get the affected condors back into the field will determine the overall negative impact to the program. With the exception of a few glitches, all agencies contacted on both sides of the border have been immensely helpful to this point. CITES permits to re-export the birds have been applied for out of Dave Rimlinger’s office at the San Diego Zoo.

Again, I would like to thank all those involved with this operation including the Baja condor field staff, the keeper, vet-tech and vet staff at the Wild Animal Park. Mike Clark for coming from LAZ to assist in training the hospital keeper staff. USDA, PROFEPA and USFWS have been exceedingly corporative and helpful during the transfers with Dr. Fernando Sanchez coordinating the many details on the Mexico side. Dr. Jeff Zuba supervised many transfer details and coordinating the hospital treatment. The keeper staff at the hospital did an amazing job of managing the eleven condors considering safety, behavioral isolation and USDA quarantine. Only after re-release to the wild will we be able to determined the behavioral effect this experience has had on the birds.

Read the rest of this entry >
< Show Less