www.montereycountyweekly.com APRIL 20-26, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 17 On March 9, staff at The Peregrine Fund, a nonprofit that manages the California condor flock in Arizona and Utah, observed a condor showing signs of illness. They initially suspected the bird was suffering from lead poisoning. By March 20 the bird had died, and its body was sent to a lab for a necropsy. The results, confirmed on March 30 by a U.S. Department of Agriculture lab, showed the bird didn’t die from lead poisoning, but from H5N1, a new strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, aka bird flu. By April 13, a total of 18 condors from the Arizona-Utah flock had died, six of which so far have been confirmed to have bird flu. The news has sent shockwaves through the condor management community, as the California condor is a critically endangered species that was nursed back from the brink of extinction starting in the late 1980s, when there were only 22 remaining on Earth. The Central Coast flock, which is managed by nonprofit Ventana Wildlife Society and staff at Pinnacles National Park, currently numbers 89, and has been slowly recovering—until now, perhaps. “What’s scary is we don’t know the extent of this outbreak,” says VWS Executive Director Kelly Sorenson. H5N1 has been detected in every U.S. state except Hawaii, and it can spread through various means that include bird-to-bird contact and environmental contamination with fecal matter, which humans can then transmit via shoes or clothing. Scientists believe the timing of the recent outbreak suggests the new strain was brought north by migratory birds overwintering in South or Central America. Though it hasn’t yet been detected in condors in California or Baja, Sorenson and his colleagues are bracing for impact. VWS staff have been wearing hazmat suits when handling birds, and ordered 10 quarantine pens. Though each can hold three birds, sick condors will be kept in isolation until it’s determined if they have H5N1 or lead poisoning. (In the worst-case scenario, Sorenson says, VWS would capture healthy condors and keep them in captivity until it’s safe to release them.) Ashleigh Blackford, the California condor coordinator with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, says it’s unclear why this particular strain is so virulent to condors, but it appears this strain is uniquely deadly to vulture species. “Just like all viruses, there’s got to be some genetic predisposition to what species are impacted greatest,” she says. “It’s an evolving situation. We’re learning as much as we can as fast as we can.” Blackford adds that it’s “incredibly frustrating” to see condors face this threat when so much work has gone into their recovery. The good news is that there is a vaccine for the bird flu. But the bad news is that, per current USDA guidelines, it’s not legal to administer it to wild birds. USFWS has asked USDA officials for an emergency authorization to change that, and Mike Stepien, a USDA spokesperson, says federal agencies “are exploring the logistics and use of a vaccine in that population.” Flu Season A new strain of bird flu appears to pose an existential threat to California condor flocks. By David Schmalz Scientists say it’s possible some condors that succumbed to bird flu may have had weakened immune systems from lead poisoning, which condors get from feeding on carcasses with lead bullets. NEWS “What’s scary is we don’t know the extent of this outbreak.” COURTESY OF VENTANA WILDLIFE SOCIETY Try Us First. We Pay The Highest! MONTEREY COIN SHOPPE Since 1970 same street for 40 years Open Mon-Thur 11am-4pm and Friday by appointment only. Call for an appointment: 831.646.9030 449 Alvarado St., Monterey www.montereycoinshoppe.com WE BUY GOLD AND SILVER, JEWELRY, COINS, DIAMONDS, WATCHES, ART & RARE ANTIQUES Monterey One Water • ReGen Monterey • Southern Monterey Bay Dischargers Group GREEN CART Food scraps without a bag TRASH Cooking oil and grease ClogBusters.org Good kitchen habits protect the environment & public health from sewer overflows! www.ClogBusters.org OPEN TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY In Downtown Santa Cruz – 585 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz See Website or Phone for Details • 831-621-2309 • www.currentebikes.com EVERY BIKE INCLUDES: • FREE LIFETIME TUNE-UPS • PROFESSIONAL ASSEMBLY • ASSISTANCE WITH SIZING & ADJUSTMENTS • DISCOUNTS ON ACCESSORIES, RACKS, ETC. • COMPLETE POST SALE SERVICE MENTION THIS AD FOR AN ADDITIONAL $50 OFF ANY BIKE IN STOCK ELECTRIC BICYCLES Orbea Rise Lightest eMTB in Class Quality Electric Bikes In-Stock eBikes ON SALE NOW
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