California condor arrives at Oakland Zoo for lead poisoning treatment

A California condor from Pinnacles National Park is being treated at the Oakland Zoo for lead poisoning.

The bird, Condor #444, was tested for lead poisoning at the national park last week and tested positively. The Condor Field Crew Leader contacted the Oakland Zoo to arrange for the bird to be brought there the next morning.

“While we never like to see sick or lead poisoned birds, today is really a fantastic day for Oakland Zoo because the zoo’s Condor Care Team is now able to put their skills and special training into helping save this magnificent bird,” said Dr. Andrea Goodnight, associate veterinarian at Oakland Zoo.

The female condor is undergoing treatment until its blood levels reveal it is lead-free. At that time, the bird will be taken back to Pinnacles to be released into the wild.

Condor #444 hatched in Big Sur in May 2007, and is nicknamed “Ventana,” according to the Ventana Wildlife Society.

“This bird is very special to us as representing the second generation of condors in the wild and a direct outcome of our hard work,” said Kelly Sorenson, Executive Director of Ventana Wildlife Society.

Ventana is the oldest living wild-raised chick in the Central California flock and was raised in the wild by “condor foster parents” with minimal human Last year, Gov. Jerry Brown, Governor of California signed a law that would phase out the use of lead ammunition for hunting. Lead from spent ammunition is the most significant problem for California condors. The law doesn’t go into effect until 2019.

While it is being treated, the condor can be watched up close via the zoo’s FedEx condor cam, a streaming webcam located inside the rehabilitation enclosure.

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