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Endangered Condors poisoned by bullets in their food
09/Sep/2006: A new study in California confirmed that Californian Condors are being poisoned by lead from shotgun pellets and other ammunition in the carcasses of animals killed by hunters.
This development is hampering the efforts of conservationists who are trying to re-populate this near extinct species of scavengers. Conservation efforts like captive breeding have saved this bird species from extinction till now.
When researchers compared the type of lead found in the blood samples of condors suffering from lead poisoning with the lead in bullets and other ammunition, they found that the lead from the ammunition matched the type of lead found in the condors’ blood. The results of this study were published in the science journal ‘Environmental Science and Technology’.
At least four condors are known to have died of lead poisoning with another 26 requiring immediate medical attention to reduce the amount of lead in their blood. Condors are facing extinction due to reasons like disruption in their food supply, as many of their food sources (like whales, sea lions and deer) have already been wiped out by hunting and whaling.
Scientists fear that under such circumstances lead poisoning could threaten the very existence of this rare bird species.
Kesavan Siva
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