Bird Flu Detected in Monterey County
What This Means for the Free-flying Condor Population in Central California
What This Means for the Free-flying Condor Population in Central California
The Latest News
On May 16, 2023, the USDA Animal and Plant Heath Inspection Service (APHIS) announced their approval of an emergency use of a vaccine which is a killed, inactivated product conditionally licensed by APHIS’ Center for Veterinary Biologics in 2016. We of course applaud this decision and are elated that safety trials with surrogate vulture species will occur very soon. We owe a debt of gratitude to the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the USDA for taking this important step forward. However, we recognize that the vaccine's efficacy on condors and its timeline are not yet known, and so we remain optimistically realistic.
Our thoughts continue to be with our partners in Arizona and The Peregrine Fund who lost twenty one (21) condors in Arizona in recent months. At least 13 were confirmed to be HPAI and the others are suspected, but at least the outbreak appears to be over. In addition to these deaths, four condors are currently in treatment. We are especially thankful to our partners at the Oakland Zoo and SPCA Monterey County for their collaboration to help us better prepare for HPAI. If you would like make a donation to assist with this new threat, please make a gift to Condor Recovery today.
On May 16, 2023, the USDA Animal and Plant Heath Inspection Service (APHIS) announced their approval of an emergency use of a vaccine which is a killed, inactivated product conditionally licensed by APHIS’ Center for Veterinary Biologics in 2016. We of course applaud this decision and are elated that safety trials with surrogate vulture species will occur very soon. We owe a debt of gratitude to the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the USDA for taking this important step forward. However, we recognize that the vaccine's efficacy on condors and its timeline are not yet known, and so we remain optimistically realistic.
Our thoughts continue to be with our partners in Arizona and The Peregrine Fund who lost twenty one (21) condors in Arizona in recent months. At least 13 were confirmed to be HPAI and the others are suspected, but at least the outbreak appears to be over. In addition to these deaths, four condors are currently in treatment. We are especially thankful to our partners at the Oakland Zoo and SPCA Monterey County for their collaboration to help us better prepare for HPAI. If you would like make a donation to assist with this new threat, please make a gift to Condor Recovery today.
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The Threat
A global outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), or Bird Flu, started in 2021 and continues to be a growing concern for wild bird populations, including the California Condor. In fact, it is with a heavy heart that we share with you that our partners in Arizona are currently managing an outbreak. Our thoughts are with The Peregrine Fund and our partners who manage the condor flock in Arizona. Wildlife Currently Being Affected in Monterey County
HPAI cases affecting turkey vultures, snowy plovers, and several species of waterfowl were documented in Monterey County this year, dangerously close to the free-flying condor flock in central California. HPAI is now all around us, so it is not a matter of if but when an outbreak will occur. Various strains of bird flu have been in the wild for years so there is a good chance that the older condors in the wild have some protection after being exposed to a less severe strain. If so, those individuals are more likely to survive an infection, which is at least some level of comfort. What We Are Doing to Prepare Our condor crew has been following strict safety protocols when handling condors since before the disease was found to occur in central California and have made preparations for quarantine and treatment through partners. We raised $85,000 in support of the purchase of 10 quarantine pens, which will arrive any day now. SPCA Monterey County has approved the temporary use of their land on which to setup these pens. Once placed, these pens can be used for treatment or vaccination when available. How Can I Help?
The new quarantine pens will be crucial in the fight against this disease, but we still need support for our staff to care for the flock. What If I See a Sick Bird?
HPAI symptoms include lethargy, incoordination, presenting as dull or unresponsive, holding head in an unusual position, and walking in circles. If you encounter a sick or dead bird, do not touch it, instead, report your finding/s to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife via their Mortality Reporting webpage (link below). If you see a sick or deceased California Condor in central California, contact Joe Burnett or Pinnacles National Park at 831-389-4486 x4276. Vertical Divider
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• Learn More About The Current Incidence of HPAI In Wild Birds From USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
• Find The Current HPAI Situation Summary From Center For Disease Control
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Through support from donors, our conservation work helps guide future recovery efforts by actively combatting the most pressing threats to condor recovery. Ventana Wildlife Society not only rescues and cares for condors, but also works towards preventative solutions for condor recovery so that one day condors can fly free without human intervention. Lead poisoning is by far the greatest cause of death in wild condors. Fortunately some condors with severe lead poisoning, if treated in time, can be saved like the story of Cedric's recovery. |
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Spent lead ammunition ingested by the Bald Eagle, our nation's symbol, is also devastating to individuals but has less impact to the population compared to condors. Nevertheless, with so many pressures birds face in the wild, we hope that more people switch to using non-lead ammunition. Consider also watching this PBS special about Bald Eagles filmed in Virginia and see how they are approaching the issue.
Lead Poisoning
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Managing the lead threat is paramount to the full recovery of the California Condor population. Even after legislation banned the use of lead ammunition within the condor range, we documented cases of lead toxicosis in condors. For example, one condor died in 2012 after ingesting a .22-caliber lead bullet. This type of bullet is widely used to shoot ground squirrels and other non-game mammals. Despite the growing abundance of non-lead ammunition products for most hunting calibers, availability of non-lead .22 LR ammunition remained inconsistent years after the ban was enacted. We mitigate the lead threat by providing free non-lead ammunition, including .22 LR and other calibers that are difficult to find. We also monitor movement patterns of the flock to identify potential lead exposure sites, provide a lead-free supplemental food source, and facilitate treatment for condors discovered with symptoms of lead poisoning.
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Wildfire
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For condors, wildfires have provided some benefits. Condors use burned snags for roosting and fire-created cavities in large redwoods for nesting. But, as these fires demonstrate, condors may not always survive wildfires that catch them at the wrong time and place. Much like humans have difficulty escaping a house fire without a fire alarm to wake them, condors are especially at risk when wildfires sweep through their territories at night, when they are roosting and unlikely to fly. Yet, as devastating as some of these wildfires have been, lead poisoning remains the leading cause of fatalities and the greatest threat to condor recovery.
2020 - Dolan Fire
The Dolan Fire had the greatest impact of any wildfire on Ventana Wildlife Society and the local condor population. Just as we were celebrating the 100th condor in the central California population, the Dolan Fire took the lives of nine free-flying wild condors and two chicks that were in nests on that fateful night of August 20-21, 2020. Chicks in three other active nests in the path of the fire were spared, one by field crews who were able to access the nest in time to evacuate the chick. Another condor, while surviving the blaze initially, later died as a result of the wounds he suffered. Our facilities at the Big Sur Condor Sanctuary were not immune to the inferno, as they were also destroyed during the night. Thanks to the generous support of our members and donors, new and improved facilities are in the works with a projected completion date of Fall 2022.
Condors Lost to the Dolan Fire - “Kingpin” #167, “Survivor” #375, “Electra” #678, “Boreas” #773, “Arthur” #789, “Tonks” #875, Scabbers #901, #448, #9001, and #9003. Two chicks, #1022 (whose parents are #448, female #543) and #1029 (whose parents are McWay #567 and Loner #311). dolan fire timeline, 8/19/20-10/30/20
2016 - Sobranes fire
In 2016, an illegal campfire at Garrapata State Park started the Soberanes Fire, which burned over 130,000 acres from the Carmel region south into Los Padres National Forest and the Ventana Wilderness. Occurring north of the Big Sur Condor Sanctuary, no condors were lost as a result of the fire. 2008 - basin complex fire
The Basin Complex Fire was a massive wildfire near Big Sur that ignited on June 21, 2008, and was the result of a lightning strike. It eventually grew to 162,818 acres and claimed the lives of two wild condors, 278 and 377. |
Electrocution
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Powerline collisions and electrocutions have claimed the lives of several condors. The fog and winds typical of the Big Sur coast can elevate the threat by obscuring powerlines and limiting the ability of birds to navigate hazards. We consistently collaborate with Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) to improve condor safety. In 2011, PG&E buried a high-risk powerline near the condor release site along the Big Sur coast, thereby eliminating a major threat. Then they retrofitted spans in other sensitive areas with insulated tree wire, reducing the risk of electrocution while increasing the visibility of the lines. We also drafted a risk assessment with PG&E to identify structures of relatively high risk, so the company can prioritize retrofits with a proactive approach.
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Micro-Trash
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Condors are always on the lookout for calcium to supplement their diet. In searching for natural forms of calcium, like small bones and sea shells, they might pick up small pieces of litter by mistake. Things like plastic, glass, or bottle caps. This "micro-trash", as we call it, can be especially harmful to their chicks if brought back to the nest. Most condor nests end up with a few items of micro-trash, and these usually do not harm the chick. However, in large amounts, micro-trash can potentially sicken or even kill condor chicks.
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Marine Contaminants
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Condors are sensitive to marine contaminants in the environment. We conducted research in collaboration with Robert Riseborough (The Bodega Bay Institute), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Santa Barbara Zoo, and the Los Angeles Zoo, and found that mean thickness of eggshell fragments in central California nests was 34% lower than the mean for interior southern California. We also found lower hatching success in central California. We concluded that eggshell thinning, characterized by a reduction or absence of the outer crystalline layer, was associated with marine contaminants, because condors in central California frequently scavenge marine mammal carcasses, whereas condors in interior southern California do not. We found that DDE, a metabolite of the infamous organochloride DDT, was the source of condor eggshell thinning based on the concentrations measured in our sample of failed eggs and the proximity of the Montrose Chemical Corporation DDT contamination site to seasonal sites used by marine mammal populations visiting the central California coast. We can help mitigate the threat by replacing thin-shelled eggs discovered in nests with normal eggs laid by condors in captivity
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