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When Condor 1180 arrived on the Big Sur Sanctuary scene in February of 2023, s/he took everyone by surprise! Why? Because before this sighting, we didn't know s/he existed! You can imagine our biologists' surprise when, during a routine viewing of the explore.org Big Sur Sanctuary Cam, they spotted a chick with Traveler (171) and Shadow (209)! This story is amazing in and of itself, however, what makes it extraordinary is the story of Traveler (171) (potentially Condor 1180's mother) and what happened to her in the summer of 2022 when this chick would still have been completely dependent on its parents' care.
In the summer of 2022, Traveler (171) was suffering from a severe case of lead poisoning and was taken into captivity for 2.5 months for treatment - first at Oakland Zoo and then at LA Zoo. If this chick turns out to be the offspring of Traveler (171) and Shadow (209), that means that Shadow (209) raised this chick alone in Traveler (171)'s absence! Of course, we won't know the lineage of Condor 1180 until we are able to obtain and test a genetic sample, however, the interactions between these three birds when they are together lead us to believe that they are indeed a family. For example, Condor 1180 has often been seen snuggling with Traveler (171) and Shadow (209). Another fact that makes this story amazing is that, in the past, Traveler (171) and Shadow (209) have only fostered captive laid eggs, never rearing a biological chick of their own (to our knowledge)!
More to come as this incredible story develops!
In the summer of 2022, Traveler (171) was suffering from a severe case of lead poisoning and was taken into captivity for 2.5 months for treatment - first at Oakland Zoo and then at LA Zoo. If this chick turns out to be the offspring of Traveler (171) and Shadow (209), that means that Shadow (209) raised this chick alone in Traveler (171)'s absence! Of course, we won't know the lineage of Condor 1180 until we are able to obtain and test a genetic sample, however, the interactions between these three birds when they are together lead us to believe that they are indeed a family. For example, Condor 1180 has often been seen snuggling with Traveler (171) and Shadow (209). Another fact that makes this story amazing is that, in the past, Traveler (171) and Shadow (209) have only fostered captive laid eggs, never rearing a biological chick of their own (to our knowledge)!
More to come as this incredible story develops!
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