The tragedy attacked the Jurok Condor’s efforts to recover. A few months after being released into the wild from the Los Angeles Zoo, one of the critically endangered birds succumbed to lead poisoning, a completely preventable and human-laden threat.
The bird, Pey-noh-pey-o-wok, had flew freely for just three months when he died in the backcountry in Redwood National Park after ingesting a lead airgun pellet, the tribe announced Wednesday. At 18 months old, he was the youngest bird in the 18-year-old flock.
“Natural death would have been much pain for us,” he sees humans beginning to thrive in the wild,” said Tiana Williams Klausen, director of the tribe’s wildlife department, in a statement. “It’s devastating that he was embraced by a human and defeated by something preventable.”
According to The Tribe, Pey-noh-pey-o-wok means “I’m a friend, kind, or I’m a better character.” True to his name, the young Condor always shared his food and often found grooming and flocks along with other birds in his flock, Williams Clausen said in a statement.
Pathology examination revealed an air gun pellet in his gravel, and high concentrations of lead were found in his liver and bones. Lead poisoning is the only greatest threat to condors, responsible for about half of all morals.
In November, another member of the herd was treated for very elevated lead levels at the Condor Care facility at the Sequoia Park Zoo for 22 days before being re-released into the wild.
At the time, Jurok biologist Chris West said, “If nothing changes, it seems almost inevitable that we will lose birds and birds to lead to addiction.”
This month, his predictions proved true.
“The loss of Pey-noh-pey-o-wok was a huge blow to us. Death is part of our work with wildlife, but he was a difficult one as our first loss,” West said. “Thankfully, our flock has 17 amazing birds in our flock carrying hopes, dreams and prayers.”
Condors are scavengers and play an important role in ecosystems by feeding dead animals and preventing decayed bodies from accumulating and stopping the spread of disease. Unfortunately, this increases the risk of lead poisoning if they cleaned animals killed with lead ammunition.
The condor has a huge wingspan of up to 10 feet, which can remain uninterrupted and live for 70 years. Unfortunately, lead poisoning, habitat loss, poaching and pesticide exposure have put majestic birds at risk of extinction.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, their population reached just 23 birds in 1987, out of just 23 birds, but thanks to their dedicated conservation efforts, they rebounded to around 500.
The Urok Northern California Condor Repair Program plays an important role in these efforts by reintroducing the condor into the homelands of tribe ancestors.
The tribe considers the condor to be sacred and many of its rituals use songs about birds and feathers. They plan to release another cohort of condors later this year.
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