A California condor is recovering at the Oakland zoo; was affected by high levels of lead when the bird was brought in the zoo. She is being treated at the zoo and is recovering nicely.

According to Oakland Zoo Veterinarian Dr. Andrea Goodnight, “She’s poisoned. She has this toxin running through her body. Ultimately this toxin will kill her”. Researchers in the Pinnacles National Park captured her last week; it was found while performing a routine examination that level of lead in her blood was quite high.

There could be many reasons behind high levels of lead in her blood; she may have consumed spent ammunition. According to Goodnight, “Say a hunter goes out, makes a kill or thinks there’s a kill made, and the animal is just wounded and runs off. The birds are really good at finding those animals because that’s their job”.

There is a new condor care facility at the Oakland zoo. Miracle that has been brought is the first to be treated here.

The bird is a critically endangered species. There were only 22 left in the wild in 1987. Dr. Goodnight said that she’s being treated with a drug that binds up lead and it is excreted through her kidneys.

The doctors are taking every step to treat the rare bird carefully. According to doctors, they will test another blood sample in about a week to observe condition of Miracle. They are looking forward to release the condor back to the wild; it is one of the world’s rarest birds.