What California’s Historic Lead Bullet Ban Means For Condors

National Geographic weighs in on California Governor Jerry Brown’s decision to ban lead bullets for hunters. The state’s iconic California condor seems to be at the center of this controversial decision made by the state.

Here’s an excerpt from the story:

Lead poses a danger to wildlife. This danger has been known for a long time,” the governor said in a signing statement. “Since 2007, California has prohibited it in the eight counties within the condor range. In fact, at least thirty other states regulate lead ammunition in some manner.”

The California Fish and Game Commission will have until July 1, 2019, to fully implement the new law.

“The regulation is smart, it’s a move in the right direction,” said Vernon Thomas, a researcher at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, who has worked on the effects of lead toxicity on wildlife for more than 20 years.

Studies have shown that lead is extremely toxic to birds and mammals, including humans. It’s harmful to almost every organ in the human body and is particularly toxic to the nervous system and the brain.

This is likely not going to make a lot of hunters very happy.

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