VENTANA WILDLIFE SOCIETY
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Back to In Memoriam Condor Bios
#199 “The Great One”
Sex: Male ​
Hatch Location & Date: San Diego Zoo, 4/8/1999     ​
Release Date: 3/4/2000 ​
Parents:  #20 and #29     ​
Local Biological Siblings: #168, #209, and #726
Breeding Status: Paired with #438 (Previously with #231) ​
Offspring: #477, #789
Deceased: 16 January 2020, Necropsy Pending
The Great One was raised using a carefully crafted leather condor puppet, so he was closely watched due to this non-traditional upbringing. He bonded especially closely with other males his age, #204 and #209, and spent a lot of time with his buddies. As The Great One got older, he showed more interest in the Big Sur backcountry and especially in his mate, Condor #231.Together, they raised their biological chick, Condor #477, in the wild.

​He later paired with #438 and continued to be a successful nester, producing chick #789. Admittedly, our initial expectations of The Great One were not high, but it turned out that his artificial rearing did not prevent him from becoming a great parent. His nickname is something we yelled out in the old days when we saw him doing well in the wild. Many of our biologists have picked him as their favorite because of his progress from underdog to successful condor. He ruled the wild Ventana backcountry for twenty years and will long be remembered as an example of the amazing resilience and adaptability of this incredible species. 
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  • Home
    • About Us
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff
    • Big Sur Discovery Center
    • Wildlife Sanctuaries >
      • Wildlife Sanctuaries
      • Big Sur Condor Sanctuary
      • Lake Nacimiento Eagle Sanctuary
    • Media Coverage
    • Organization Documents
    • Contact Us / Get Updates
  • Membership
  • Wildlife
    • California Condors >
      • California Condors
      • Big Sur Fires
      • Condor Cam
      • Baby Condors
      • My Condor Bios
      • Recovering Condors >
        • Condor Releases
        • Lead Threat
        • Non-Lead Ammunition
        • GPS Tracking
        • Nest Monitoring
        • Electrocutions
        • Micro-Trash
        • Marine Contaminants
      • The Movie
    • Bald Eagles
    • Vultures of the World
  • Services
    • Consultation
    • Conservation Planning
    • Surveys >
      • Surveys
      • Other Wildlife
  • Education
    • Programs >
      • Programs
      • Required Forms
      • Bilingual Education
      • Nature Prescription Programs
      • Partners
    • Young at heart
    • Resources
    • Inspirational Youth
    • Fund-A-Need
    • Presentations
  • Join Us
    • Rebuild and Restore
    • Adopt-A-Condor
    • Events >
      • Feathers in Flight
    • Zoom-Chats
    • Legacy Society
    • Our Supporters >
      • Our Supporters
      • Corporate Sponsors
      • Foundations
      • Collaborators
      • In-Kind Donors
    • Volunteer
    • Employment
    • Store