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Please direct media inquiries to:
Susan Whaley
Public Relations Coordinator
swhaley@peregrinefund.org
Direct Line:  (208) 362-8274
Cell:  (208) 860-2641
Main:  (208) 362-3716
 

Frequently Asked Questions

 1. Who attended The Peregrine Fund’s “Ingestion of Spent Lead Ammunition: Implications for Wildlife and Humans” conference May 12-15, 2008, in Boise?  The conference was primarily for biologists, scientists, wildlife and medical professionals and representatives of sporting groups and industries.

2. What was the purpose of the conference?  To investigate the effects of ingested spent lead ammunition as a possible source of contamination in wildlife and in humans.

3. What did you hope to accomplish?  We had two main goals:

n      Make available to the public science about the effects of lead ingestion and what areas require further research.

n      Bring two research disciplines (wildlife biologists and health professionals) together in the same place to hear the same evidence and discussion. 

4. What outcome did you expect from this conference?   We hoped to:

n      Increase public awareness of the risks of this source of lead poisoning and of the availability of ammunition that is less toxic and less likely to fragment.

n      Encourage new research on the effects of this possible source of lead contamination in humans.

 5. Why convene such a conference now?   Despite millions of dollars and years of intensive effort by The Peregrine Fund and other organizations and agencies, the long-term success of the California Condor recovery program is jeopardized by lead poisoning. Currently, all free-flying condors are captured at least once a year to be tested and, if necessary, treated for lead poisoning. The future of a self-sustaining condor population depends on controlling lead contamination.

6. How do condors, and possibly other wildlife and humans, get lead poisoning?  Research shows that lead bullets fragment into hundreds of tiny pieces when a bullet enters an animal’s body. These fragments can disperse several inches from the point of entry. Condors are scavengers that feed on the gut piles and carcasses left by hunters in the field. A condor that ingests even a tiny number of lead fragments can become seriously ill or die.

7. How does lead affect humans?  Lead is toxic and even tiny amounts are dangerous, especially for children and pregnant women. Lead has been known for centuries as a poisonous material when ingested or inhaled. Effects of lead poisoning include damage to the nervous system, kidneys, and gastrointestinal and reproductive systems, and death. The effect is particularly serious in children, whose intellect and behavior are impaired. The lead dust equivalent of a single grain of salt is all it takes for a child to register an elevated blood lead level.

8. Are California Condors the only birds affected by lead bullets?     No. Research shows that many birds ingest lead and are poisoned by it, including Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles, doves, pheasants, wild turkeys, and Red-tailed Hawks. This indicates that many non-waterfowl species are at risk of illness and death. Lead shot and bullets are currently legal for hunting upland birds and mammals, such as deer and elk, and for target practice and trap shooting.

9. What about ducks and other waterfowl?  In 1991 the federal Fish and Wildlife Service banned lead shot for hunting waterfowl.

10. Why is the problem so apparent in condors?  Condors are social birds that feed together, so one contaminated carcass can affect many birds. Large, long-lived birds like condors (which can survive 50 years) breed slowly. Each year or two, a pair produces one egg, which may or may not hatch successfully. Many chicks die before maturity. Due to this low reproductive capacity, adult birds don’t have time to replace themselves when die-offs occur suddenly and rapidly.

On a related issue, research by The Peregrine Fund found that less than 1 percent of carcasses contaminated with a veterinary drug called diclofenac could cause a population crash in Asian vultures, which are ecologically and behaviorally similar to condors. The Peregrine Fund currently is researching whether a similarly low number of lead-contaminated carcasses can cause catastrophic harm to condors.