Wassak — Yet Another Condor Poisoned by Lead

Yesterday I received an email from the Ventana Wildlife Society here in Monterey. Wassak, a three-year-old condor, was recently rescued from the wild, suffering from lead poisoning and fighting for his life. In spite of the fact that lead ammo is now illegal in California, this is not a rare occurrence.

But what is rare is that this bird’s name — wassak — means condor in Rumsen language. I was honored to provide five Rumsen names for newly-released condors in late 2019, and Wassak (#968) was one of these young condors. Now his life is in jeopardy because of lead ammunition in the dead animals he ate. For those who might want more information, you can visit the Ventana Wildlife Society’s website (ventanaws.org). The condor bios for Wassak’s cohort of seven (all with Monterey County indigenous names) have audios for pronunciation. You can always donate or join the Ventana Wildlife Society to support their ongoing efforts to introduce Condors into the wild and protect them once they’re there.

—Linda Yamane, Member of the Rumsen Ohlone Tribal Community