Latest California Condor Stories

Good Eye Films New Environmental documentary Explores Status of Condor Restoration and Effect of Lead Ammunition on Recovery Santa Barbara, California (PRWEB) January 29, 2013 Filmmaker Jeff McLoughlin announces selection of his film, "The Condor's Shadow," into 2013 Santa Barbara International Film Festival, held January 24 – February 3, 2013 in Santa Barbara, CA. This environmental documentary explores the ongoing challenge of rebuilding a self-sustaining population of...

Brett Smith for redOrbit.com Despite efforts to protect them, California condors are being decimated more than previously thought from lead poisoning caused by ingesting hunters’ bullets, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Being opportunistic scavengers, condors feed primarily on the carcasses or organs of large mammals such as deer, many of which have been shot and left behind by hunters who might only take cuts of meat. Lead...

A recently released scientific paper authored by San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research scientists shows the leading causes of death of the endangered California condor in the wild are human influenced, with lead poisoning being the primary factor in juvenile and adult birds. The study documents the deaths of wild California condors at all release sites—California, Arizona and Baja, California, Mexico—from the inception of the reintroduction program in October 1992 through...

Two new UC Davis studies add scientific evidence that hunters' lead ammunition often finds its way into carrion-eating birds, such as eagles and turkey vultures.These scavenger species often take advantage of animal remains left behind when a hunter cleans a kill or when a shot deer or wild pig escapes the hunter but dies later.However, when the remains contain lead shot pellets or bullet fragments, the scavenger birds can develop lead poisoning, which can cause inability to fly, starvation,...

Rare California condors living in Arizona and Utah are at risk due to lead bullets found inside the carrion the birds feed upon, wildlife officials say. Kathy Sullivan of the Arizona Game and Fish Department said the 75 condors living in northern Arizona and southern Utah have begun feeding on the remains of deer and elk killed during hunting season, The Salt Lake Tribune said Sunday. The lead bullets used to kill the animals have resulted in the deaths of at least 12 of the birds due to...

A rare California condor chick has hatched in Baja California on a cliff side, according to the San Diego Zoo.The zoo announced the hatching on Thursday. This is only the second time a condor chick has hatched since 2002 in Mexico, when the zoo reintroduced the endangered species to the area.In 2007 another chick hatched, but it disappeared a month later. The newest chick was immunized against West Nile virus when biologists rappelled down a 330 foot cliff to the nest to...

A California condor nest near Pinnacles National Monument is the first one documented in the region in more than 70 years, park officials say. Officials said a male condor released at the monument in 2004 apparently has paired with a 6-year-old female condor for breeding, KSBW-TV of Salinas, Calif., reported Tuesday. California condors were facing extinction and there had been no new condor nests known to have been found in the park in nearly 70 years before the 2003 reintroduction effort,...

LEWISTON - A wildlife scientist at the San Diego Zoo will talk about a project to save the California condor from extinction at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Bates College. Michael Wallace will talk about the California Condor Recovery Program in Carnegie Science Hall, Room 204. The presentation, sponsored by the Stanton Bird Club and Bates College, is free and open to the public. The last California condor was captured in 1987, when only 27 of the birds remained on Earth. The condor population had...

By Paul Rogers Mercury News Biologists working to bring the California condor back from the brink of extinction plan to break ground next month to rebuild Big Sur facilities critical to the birds' recovery that were destroyed by wildfires in June. "I'm very optimistic. We managed to get by with only losing two birds. And we have had a great response from our donors. We are very focused,'' said Kelly Sorenson, executive director of the Ventana Wildlife Society, a non profit group that has...

MONTEREY, Calif., Aug. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Chalone Vineyard, a recognized pioneer and the oldest bonded winery in Monterey County, is aiding wildlife preservation efforts through the release of a limited edition 2006 Chalone Vineyard Estate Syrah Blend. The wine, which was created with a commemorative Condor label, is a joint partnership with the Ventana Wildlife Society (VWS) benefiting the California Condor. The Pinnacles is one of the VWS release sites for the California Condor. Chalone...