Condor group sets sights on hunters

FLAGSTAFF, Arizona - An effort to bring one of the world's largest birds back from the brink of extinction is expanding after northern Arizona and southern Utah in the United States found some success in getting deer hunters to use ammunition not made of lead.

A group working to protect the endangered California condor is setting its sights on small-game and varmint hunters as lead continues to threaten the birds that feed on animal carcasses. The group has enlisted the help of a social scientist to target its messaging to a broader set of hunters that are not always after big game.

"We have hope for success, it all comes down to this change in hunter tradition - and to change your traditions takes a long time," said Chris Parish of the Peregrine Fund, which tracks the condors in the southwestern US. "It's not an overnight change."