HUMBOLDT COUNTY, Calif. – The Yurok Tribe of Northern California say that, according to a pathology report, a California condor’s cause of death was lead poisoning. 

What we know:

In a social media post on Wednesday, the tribe said the 18-month-old condor, found in the wild in January, died after it apparently ate an air gun pellet. The bird was found in a remote backwoods area of Redwood National Park. 

The tribe said the condor, one of 18 free-flying condors released by the Northern California Condor Restoration Program over the last several years, was the youngest of the flock. 

The tribe’s collaboration with federal officials to reintroduce these birds is one of its flagship conservation projects. 

The bird was numbered B7, but its tribe-given name was Pey-noh-pey-o-wok, which means “I am friend or good kind natured.” The indigenous tribe considers these birds sacred. 

The examination of the bird revealed high concentrations of lead in its liver and bone. Officials delayed an announcement about the birds’ death until the official cause was determined. 

The source of the pellet is not known, officials said. 

Flying free 

“A natural death would have been less painful for us, the humans watching as he started to flourish in the wild,” Tiana Williams-Claussen, the tribe’s wildlife department director, said in the post.

She added that the condor was known for its friendliness and would be seen preening and huddling together with other condors and shared 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,” Williams Claussen added. 

The threat of lead 

Biologists say lead is the main threat to condors in the wild, making up half of the deaths of released condors when a cause of death is determined. The birds can die after scavenging on game that was shot and killed with lead ammunition when they ingest bullets. 

The NCCRP works to educate how the public can make a difference by switching to lead-free ammunition. 

The group is planning another group of condors into the wild later this year. 

The majority of the tribe is located in Humboldt and Del Norte counties.