Condor B7/Yurok Tribe
A young condor released into Redwood National and State Parks in 2023 has been found dead, with lead poisoning being the likely cause of death.
According to the Yurok Tribe, condor B7, known as Pey-noh-pey-o-wok’ was found dead in a remote area of the national park. His passing marks the first loss of a condor from the Northern California population under the Northern California Condor Restoration Program (NCCRP). At roughly 18 months of age, he was the youngest condor in the flock and had been in the wild for just over three months, the tribe said in a release.
While the NCCRP delayed a formal announcement until the official cause of death was determined, results from a pathology examination found a lead air gun pellet in his ventriculus, or gizzard, and high to very high concentrations of lead in his liver and bone. The source of the pellet was unknown, the release said.
“The loss of Pey-noh-pey-o-wok’ was a huge blow to us. Death is part of work with wild animals, but his was hard as our first loss” said Program Manager and Yurok Tribe Senior Biologist Chris West. “Thankfully, we have 17 other amazing birds in our flock carrying our hopes, dreams, and prayers.”
“A natural death would have been less painful for us, the humans watching as he started to flourish in the wild. Pey-noh-pey-o-wok’ was known for his friendliness, preening and huddling together with other condors, sharing food easily. He had only been flying free for a few months. That he was brought down by something human caused and preventable is devastating,” said Yurok Tribe Wildlife Department Director Tiana Williams-Claussen.
Lead is the single biggest threat to condors in the wild and is responsible for nearly half of released condor mortalities where the cause of death is determined. Almost all poisonings are linked to carrion from lead-shot game, livestock, and vermin.
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