Humane Society honors Nava

BY COLBY FRAZIER
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

With a giant California condor as a backdrop, State Assemblyman Pedro Nava was given the Humane Legislator of the Year award yesterday by The Humane Society of the United States in a ceremony at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.
The award was given to Nava for his outspoken support of Assembly Bill 821, which could ban lead ammunition from being used by hunters in areas of California that are designated as condor habitat. The bill has been approved by the California State Legislature and is on Gov. Schwarzenegger’s desk awaiting its fate.


Nava used yesterday’s award ceremony to send a public message to the governor, urging him to pass the bill.
“If we can’t protect the condor then we’re turning our back on history,” Nava said, noting that the birds have existed for thousands of years and remain on the brink of extinction despite preservation efforts. “Governor, protect the condors.”
Nava said abundant scientific information exists that indicates the No. 1 cause of condor mortality is lead poisoning, which the birds can contract when they ingest lead ammunition.
Nava noted the recent recall of Chinese-made toys that contain lead paint and said American’s don’t even want the stuff in their gasoline, so why, he asked, would Americans want it in the wild.
The award was presented to Nava by Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society, who said Nava represented what is “best of the human spirit.”
Pacelle said just because humans have the ability to dominate nature doesn’t mean they should.
“We have to remember that we’re not the only species on this planet,” Pacelle said. “Humans have power over animals and with power comes responsibility and we have a responsibility to prevent people from using their power in a way that causes needless harm.”
The National Rifle Association and U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance oppose the bill. Both have encouraged the governor to veto the bill and both claim the passage of it will open the door for larger bans on lead ammunition.
Nava said the skeptics need only look at the science. He compared those in opposition to the bill, which is also called the Ridley-Tree Condor Preservation Act, to those who refuse to believe that global warming exists.
Nava and Pacelle said that safer, alternative ammunitions -- some of which are made of copper -- have existed for years and that lead ammunition has been banned from hunting waterfowl, such as ducks, for more than a decade.
When the lead ammunition ban for waterfowl was being passed, Nava said the NRA opposed the bill just as vehemently as it has the current bill.
He did say the NRA gave one of its “Golden Bullseye” awards this year to BARNES ammunition, which uses copper and tungsten instead of lead in their bullets. The BARNES motto says: “Unleaded. Unfailing. Unbeatable.”
Nava called the NRA awarding a company for non lead bullets and simultaneously opposing the bill an “irony,” and said it is a situation of “The left hand not talking to the right hand.”
The story of how a condor gets lead poisoning is one of the human food chain.
Karl Hutterer, executive director of the Museum of Natural History, which is home to the California Condor Archive, said condors usually ingest lead ammunition while feeding on the carcasses of other animals.
He said deer, elk and other hunted animals are often shot by hunters, but sometimes run away and die without being retrieved by the shooter.
If the shooter used lead ammunition, it’s likely that a condor could eat what’s left of the bullet.
He said the lead then dissolves into the condor’s blood stream, which paralyses the condor’s digestive track.
“They die of starvation,” Hutterer said.
The bird used yesterday as a prop for the award ceremony was a female condor named AC3, which died early this year as a result of lead poisoning.
Jan Hamber, a condor biologist for the museum, who oversees the condor archives which date back to the 17th century, said AC3 was one of nine birds in 1987 that was fastened with a radio transmitter, which allowed researchers to track the condors.
Hamber said she doesn’t know how many condors have died as a result of lead poisoning, but said the first instance occurred in 1984.
Hamber said when a condor suffering from lead poisoning is treated quickly, a process called chelation can be used to extract the lead from the blood, which saves the condor’s life.
A fourth grade class from the Coastline Christian Academy was on hand for the presentation yesterday and got a brief education on the condor by Nava and Pacelle.
Nava also got the children involved in the press conference, asking them to stand in front of the cameras and tell Gov. Schwarzenegger to protect the condors.
“We don’t want you poisoned,” Nava told the class of about a dozen students. “We don’t want condors poisoned either.”