>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. =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation. ----------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx ----------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TN-Bird Net Owner: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx (423) 764-3958 =========================================================