#199 “The Great One”
Sex: Male
Hatch Location & Date: San Diego Zoo, 4/8/1999
Release Date: 3/4/2000
Parents: #20 and #29
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.
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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