Lead Bullets Banned in California

Governor Schwarzenegger has signed legislation that should prevent some of the lead poisoning deaths of endangered California Condors.

Finally—California has banned lead bullets in condor territory: lead ammunition lying around the countryside and washing into rivers and ponds has been killing birds for decades, a shameful byproduct of the hunting enthusiast, who leaves some ammunition behind when he or she misses the target, and more in the remains of abandoned dead animals. It’s no surprise that lead kills birds and other animals—we’ve known that for quite a while. It contaminates our soil and water as well.

Recently, it’s come to light that condors are at particular risk because they are scavengers who are attracted to kills left lying in the woods. While feeding on the carrion, they ingest lead ammunition. Then they die. Condors are endangered birds, having gone extinct in the wild and only recently been reintroduced from captive breeding programs. We cannot afford to lose them this way.

The mystery is, why has it taken so long to ban lead bullets, and why does the legislation, even now, only cover territory where condors range or are likely to range in California? California’s bill AB 821 is good legislation—a good beginning—but it doesn’t go nearly far enough. There are alternatives to lead ammunition available to hunters. It’s time every hunter started using them.