Game and Fish says Arizona hunters have proven their commitment to wildlife conservation by voluntarily reducing the amount of lead exposure to endangered California condors. Officials say in the last 10 years, 87 percent of hunters in Arizona’s condor range have voluntarily used non-lead ammunition during their hunts or, if they used lead ammunition, removed the gut piles from the field. Game and Fish reminds hunters that if they have trouble finding non-lead ammunition, they can still support condor recovery by removing gut piles of animals shot with lead ammunition from the field. Lead poisoning has been identified as the leading cause of diagnosed death in endangered condors and the main obstacle to a self-sustaining population in Arizona and southern Utah. Studies suggest that lead shot and bullet fragments found in animal carcasses and gut piles are the most-likely source of lead exposure.
