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November 30, 2006
Wildlife Advocates File Suit
to Replace Toxic Ammo with Safer Alternatives
Simple,
Practical Steps Called for to
Protect Endangered California
Condor
A broad coalition including
hunters, Native Americans, and health and conservation
organizations filed suit today against the California Fish
and Game Commission and Department of Fish and Game for
continuing to allow toxic lead ammunition to poison
rare California condors even though safe, reliable shot is
readily available. The Wishtoyo Foundation, Physicians for
Social Responsibility, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Center for Biological Diversity,
along with representatives from the hunting community
brought suit under the federal Endangered Species Act.
“The
safety of our families and healthy wildlife are important to
hunters across California,” said Anthony Prieto, a hunter
and plaintiff in the case. “There’s a simple solution that
lets hunters hunt while protecting condors, eagles, and
other wildlife; it’s lead-free ammo. I know from experience
that these bullets are safe and ballistically outperform
bullets made from lead.”
The
California condor is one of the most imperiled animals in
the world. They were so close to extinction that in 1982,
the last 22 wild birds were rounded up as part of a
captive-breeding program. The government began releasing
condors back into the wild in 1992, and the Los Padres
National Forest provides prime habitat for the bird.
Condors, bald eagles, and golden eagles inadvertently ingest lead when they encounter carcasses or the
remains of animals cleaned by hunters in the field.
Microscopic lead particles are widespread throughout game
shot with lead ammunition. Condors also can mistake bullet
fragments for the calcium-rich bone they require. The birds
absorb the toxic metal more quickly than other raptors and
expel it less efficiently.
“Condors
are critical to our culture and to our religion,” said Mati
Waiya, a Chumash ceremonial leader and the executive
director of the Wishtoyo Foundation, a Native American
organization in central California. “But they will not
survive so long as we continue to allow them to be poisoned
by lead. We can solve this with the use of safe and
effective nontoxic ammunition that will allow hunters to
continue their activities and, at the same time, protect
condors.”
SCIENTIFIC
STUDIES PROVE HARM TO CONDORS
Lead is a toxic element that can cause brain damage, kidney
disease, high blood pressure and numerous reproductive and
neurological disorders. Lead poisoning is the leading
cause of death for condors reintroduced to the wild. Scientists
estimate that lead poisoning is likely responsible for killing
as many as 46 of the 127 condors released in California.
A 2003 study
commissioned by the California Department of Fish and Game
estimated that more than 30,000 lead-contaminated carcasses are
left in condor range annually. The lead exposure problem has
been known since the early 1980s, and with only 138 condors now
in the wild and the potential for mass poisonings, condor
experts and toxicologists have been warning for several years
that failure to address the problem could prevent the condor
reintroduction program's success.
Five scientific studies published this year add to the
overwhelming body of evidence showing that lead ammunition from
game hunting is poisoning condors. In August 2005, a group of
condor recovery experts and toxicologists published a research
paper in Environmental Science and Technology titled "Ammunition
is the Principal Source of Lead Accumulated by California
Condors Re-Introduced to the Wild." The researchers found that
blood lead levels of condors in the wild were 10-fold higher
than those in captive-raised condors. They demonstrated that the
lead isotope signature of commonly used ammunition sold in
condor range exactly matches the isotope of the lead found in
poisoned condors.
In a recent Peregrine Fund study, x-rays of deer killed by
hunters showed that bullets had exploded into dozens of tiny
pieces, with half the carcasses carrying at least 100 bullet
fragments. These results raise human health concerns for those
eating wild game shot with lead ammunition. The study also
examined gut piles left behind by hunters and found that 90
percent contained lead fragments – indicating that the condor
food supply is almost completely contaminated with toxic lead.
These results demand immediate state regulations requiring
non-lead ammunition for hunting in the condor range.
ALTERNATIVES ARE WIDELY AVAILABLE
Bullets
made from copper and other materials are widely available
for hunting big game and perform as well or better than lead
ammunition. Non-lead ammunition also is safer for hunters
and their families, or anyone who eats game, which often
contains shot or small metal fragments. Lead is an extremely
toxic element that can cause brain damage, kidney disease,
high blood pressure, and numerous reproductive and
neurological disorders. It has been banned in plumbing,
paint, and cookware for many years.
“My mother
fell ill earlier this year after accidentally ingesting lead
fragments in venison from a deer that I shot,” said Leif
Bierer, another hunter and plaintiff. “This is a real threat
to hunters and their families.”
One
Canadian study found that ammunition used to harvest wild
game is a major source of lead exposure in Native American
communities.
“People
eating meat from animals taken with lead ammunition often
have unhealthy lead levels in their own bodies,” said
Jonathan Parfrey, executive director for Physicians for
Social Responsibility.
Federal
law already requires the use of non-lead shot when hunting
waterfowl due to widespread lead poisoning of waterfowl and
secondary poisoning of eagles. Lead poisoning of loons,
swans, upland game and the continued poisoning of eagles
prompted additional restrictions on lead shot and lead
fishing tackle in national parks, national wildlife refuges
and on public lands in many states.
LAWSUIT: A
LAST-DITCH EFFORT TO SAVE THE CONDOR
Last year, the California Fish and Game Commission rejected a
citizen petition asking them to phase out all use of lead shot
in condor habitat. Over the past two years, legislation was
proposed that would require the use of non-lead ammo for hunting
in the condor range. Both times, the legislation was defeated,
even though bullets made from copper and other metals are widely
available and perform equal to or better than lead bullets.
Since the petition was filed two years ago, three condors in
California have required extremely painful chelation therapy to
"de-lead" their blood and save their lives after feeding on
lead-tainted carcasses. In June, four more condors at Pinnacles
National Monument had significant levels of lead poisioning
after feeding on lead-contaminated carcasses of ground
squirrels.
After two years of inaction by the Fish and Game Commission, and
in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence, wildlife
advocates were left with little choice but to file suit to
uphold our nation's wildlife protection laws.
COMMISSION
MAY ACT IN FEBRUARY
Recently,
the commission indicated it might consider regulating lead
ammunition in condor country. NRDC attorney James Birkelund
welcomed that news, but he noted that “it’s been two years
since we petitioned the commission for urgent action, and
the poisoning continues. Time is short, and condors need
more than good intentions.”
Bob Hattoy,
vice president of the Fish and Game Commission, said the
science is clear.
"Lead is killing the condors. Lead is also poisoning hunters,
their families and those who eat their kill. And it is killing
Native Americans who live off the land," said Hattoy to the Los
Angeles
Times, the only commissioner who supported a 2005 petition to
impose an immediate ban on lead ammunition.
If the Commission fails to act,
the success of the $40 million California Condor recovery
program will remain in great jeopardy. ForestWatch will post
updates of the Commission's meeting as the dates gets closer.
From LA Times,
Monterey County Herald, wire reports, and official press
release. |
