Endangered Condors Threatened With Lead Poisoning
PAGE, AZ - MARCH 24: A rare and endangered California condor pecks at a discarded beer can in Marble Gorge, east of Grand Canyon National Park, on March 24, 2007 west of Page, Arizona. Condor managers taking blood samples from the 57 wild condors in Arizona both before and after hunting season find that all 57 condors test positive for contamination by lead matching the isotropic fingerprint of the lead commonly used in ammunition, and that those levels rise significantly by the end of the season. Many of the condors become so sick that biologists must re-capture them for lead-poisoning treatments. Several die each year. Experts believe the condors are ingesting the lead as they scavenge gut piles left behind hunters because lead bullets shatter and fragment inside the kill. Officials in Arizona are encouraging hunters to use copper bullets instead of lead-based ammunition and in California, a coalition of conservation groups has sued the California Fish and Game Commission in an effort to force a ban on lead ammunition in Condor ranges. The condors in the Marble Canyon and Vermillion Cliffs area easily fly as far west as Lake Mead, by way of the Grand Canyon, and to Zion National Park and far into Utah. With a wingspan up to 9 ? feet, they are the largest flying birds in North America. In 1982, when the world population of California condors dropped to only 22 and extinction was believed eminent, biologist captured them and began a captive breeding and release program which has increased the total population to 278, of which 132 now live in the wild in Arizona, California, and Baja California, Mexico. Photo by David McNew/Getty Images

A 'bird party' of rare giant condors trashed Cinda Mickols' home over the weekend in Tehachapi, Calif.

Seana Quintero, Mickols' daughter, on her twitter post said that there was more than a dozen, about 15-20 of these rare birds in her mom's home, which was 'pretty amazing but also the worst', as these giant birds trashed here mom's deck, ripping up spa covers, knocking over plants and ornaments, tearing screen doors, chewing on every piece of plastic they could find, and pooping everywhere.

There are currently about 160 California condors flying free in Central and Southern California, nearly 80 in Arizona and Utah, and more than 30 in Baja, Mexico. The California Condor Recovery Program led to more California Condors flying free in the wild than in captivity by 2008.

California Condor in its natural habitat

Since the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) started its California Condor Recovery Program, the population of these birds have grown to more than 440. Due to habitat loss, overhunting and poisoning from hunting ammunition in 1980s, condors have almost reached extinction. Through the recovery program, condors were introduced back to the wild. You could be wondering why these birds have a number attached to them. In the California Condor Recovery Program, an identification number known as the 'studbook number' is assigned to each bird as a way to identify individual birds. This helps biologists to keep track of their medical histories and behavioral patterns.

The agency responded to the event at Mickols' home, saying that her home used to be a historic condor habitat. Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Pam Bierce said that it was 'not unusual' to see a large group of these birds flocking around in the area as sometimes they perceive houses and decks as suitable perch locations. She also added that a few hundred of Condors now in the wild, after being captive and kept in zoos back then, try to re-colonize parts of their historical range.

How the 'Condor shenanigan' was dealt with

Quintero said that her mom was fond with the wealth of wildlife in the area when she moved there, but now has 'gotten more than she bargained for'.

While it looks like the condors have no plan on leaving the house alone yet, they were hoping that the visitors start hanging out at trees, as her mom enjoys watching them out there. Quintero said that according to one of her mom's talk with a condor expert from Fish and Wildlife, 'condors like to ride the updrafts because they're poor fliers and don't flap their wings much'. Known as giant birds, it sure was a lot of effort to keep them up in the air.

Finally, U.S. Fish and Wildlife suggested hazing the birds to prevent them from the trashing the house a lot more. The group advised methods that are not harmful such as use of water hoses, yelling, clapping, shouting or using other preventative measures such as scarecrow sprinklers. Feeding or touching them was discouraged.

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