Of the 386 known to exist, only 213 remain in the wild at a handful of places, including Big Sur and Pinnacles National Monument south of San Jose. But a new study says they face a serious threat from lead poisoning—from bullet fragments in the dead animals they eat. UC Santa Cruz toxicologist Myra Finkelstein, the lead author, says a condor typically eats 75 to 150 dead animals a year and if just one has a lead bullet fragment, it’s enough to kill the bird. Mercury News
California,
Environment
