A Sibling Pair Of California Condors In Utah Fell Victim To Lead Poisoning, But While The Female Managed To Survive, Her Brother Died

This lets them keep food reserves for a long period of time because they don’t know when their next meal will be.

The tiny lead fragments they consume will slowly break down and absorb into the blood and tissue.

On May 17, 1111 was released back into the wild. During her absence, 1K had died. The California condor is an important species. Without them, diseases like rabies may become more frequent in the wilderness.

“They’re called obligate scavengers because that’s all they do, is eat things that are dead. And so they play this vital function of cleaning up the environment and helping to stop the spread of disease,” said Hauck.

Efforts are being made to protect wildlife from lead poisoning. For instance, the Hunters Helping Condors Program, which was launched in Utah in 2011, gives out prizes to hunters who use non-lead ammunition.

Additionally, the Utah Division of Wildlife offers coupons to hunters before each hunting season for free or discounted non-lead ammunition.