FreeLists / birdky / [birdky] Complete Press Release on Condor Shooting

[OLCOOT1@xxxxxxx]

>POACHER SHOOTS ONE OF THE LAST ORIGINAL CALIFORNIA CONDORS
>          Reward offered; hotline set up at 916/414-6664
>
>       The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, working closely with the
>California Department of Fish and Game, is investigating the senseless
>shooting and killing of Adult Condor 8, one of the last California condors
>taken into captivity in the 1980s and a matriarch of the captive-breeding
>program. AC-8 was found dead on February 13, and a subsequent necropsy
>determined that the bird died of gunshot.
>
>       No arrests have been made.
>
>       One of only a few dozen endangered California condors in the wild,
>AC-8 was the last female condor captured in 1986 in a last-ditch effort to
>save the species from extinction. She spent 14 years in captivity in the
>captive-breeding program and was the first of the original wild birds to be
>released in April 2000.
>
>    "The death of this majestic bird is a great tragedy and a tremendous
>loss," Interior Secretary Gale Norton said. "While we have had great
>success in our condor recovery efforts to date, we cannot accept the
>needless loss of any of these great birds. We are actively pursuing a full
>investigation of this matter."
>
>       "This unnecessary death at the hands of a poacher marks a sad day
>for
>California," said California Resources Secretary Mary D. Nichols.  "We have
>lost one of the last wild condors, but we remain committed to bringing back
>these magnificent birds from the edge of extinction.  I call on the public
>to support us in that effort, and also help us find the poacher responsible
>for this senseless killing."
>
>       With the death of AC-8, only 79 birds remain in the wild. Another
>118
>are in captivity at the San Diego Wild Animal Park and the Los Angeles Zoo.
>
>       AC-8 was believed to be more than 30 years old. She produced 12
>offspring in captivity.
>
>       The bird's carcass was recovered in a remote area of southern Kern
>County, California. The necropsy was conducted at the Service's forensics
>laboratory in Ashland, Oregon.
>
>    The California condor is listed as an endangered species and is
>protected by both federal and California law. Violation of the Federal
>Endangered Species Act carries a maximum penalty of one year confinement
>and a fine of $100,000.
>
>       "We will not let the  tragic death of AC-8 slow the forward momentum
>of condor recovery," said Marc Weitzel, project leader of the Hopper
>Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex and the California Condor
>Recovery Program. "AC-8's legacy will carry on. Condors are exhibiting
>breeding behavior in the California and Arizona populations and we fully
>anticipate wild-born condors again in the near future."
>
>       Anyone with information regarding the shooting of AC-8 is encouraged
>to call the Service's Office of Law Enforcement at 916/414-6664. The
>Service will pay a substantial reward for information leading to the arrest
>and conviction of the person or persons involved. The amount of the award
>will be determined by the value to the investigation of the information
>provided.
>
>       Those with information can also call the Department of Fish and
>Game's CalTIP Program line at 1-888-DFG-CALTIP.
>
>       The Service's California Condor Recovery Program is a multi-entity
>effort to recover the endangered species. Partners include the U.S. Forest
>Service, San Diego Wild Animal Park, Los Angeles Zoo, California Department
>of Fish and Game, the Peregrine Fund, and Ventana Wilderness Sanctuary. The
>newest Mexican partners include the Center for Scientific Investigation and
>Graduate Studies in  Ensenada and La Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y
>Recursos Naturales.
>
>       Beginning in 1992, the Service began reintroducing captive-bred
>condors to the wild. Birds have been released near the Grand Canyon in
>Arizona, in the Ventana Wilderness and the Hopper Mountain National
>Wildlife Refuge Complex in California, and ? most recently ? in Baja
>California, Mexico.
>
>Note to the news media: For photos and B-roll of AC-8, contact Denise
>Stockton at 805/644-5185
>
>         The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency
>responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and
>plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American
>people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge
>System which encompasses 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small
>wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national
>fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services
>field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the
>Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores
>nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat
>such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation
>efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds
>of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to
>state fish and wildlife agencies.


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