VENTANA WILDLIFE SOCIETY
  • 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
    • Art and Culture
    • 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
Back to In Memoriam Condor Bios
#303 "Lucia"
Sex: ​Female
Hatch Location and Date: San Diego Zoo, 4/22/2003
Release Date: 10/7/2004
Parents: #25 & #45
Local Biological Siblings: ​#219, #222
Breeding Status: Formerly paired with #313 
Offspring: ​#522
Deceased: ​10/23/2009, Lead Poisoning 
Condor #303 “Lucia” spent most of her time as a young condor in the Santa Lucia Mountains of Big Sur, California. She became acquainted with Pinnacles condors on the east side of the Salinas Valley and regularly traveled between the two sites. In 2009, she paired up with Pinnacles’ condor #313 and established a nesting territory there, the first in over 70 years.

​Unfortunately, Lucia died after ingesting lead. The lead fragment was analyzed by researchers at the University of California and was determined to be consistent with lead ammunition. Lead poisoning remains the biggest hurdle to recovery for California Condors. Lead ammunition can enter the condors’ food supply through various shooting activities including big game hunting, euthanized livestock, poaching, and perhaps other ways as well. In July 2008, the State of California banned lead ammunition for big game hunting in condor range. If you shoot firearms, please use nonlead ammunition, not just for the sake of condors but for other wildlife as well.
​

Lucia, Condor 303, became stricken with lead poisoning while tending her chick in the wild. Lucia was captured and taken to LA Zoo, where she eventually died from lead poisoning despite the courageous efforts of zoo staff and veterinarians. She will be always be remembered as the first female to nest and rear a chick in the wild at Pinnacles in over 100 years and a true matriarch of the Pinnacles flock.

Picture

ventana wildlife society

9699 Blue Larkspur Ln, Ste 105
Monterey, CA 93940
(831) 455-9514   fax (831) 455-2846

contact us

CONDOR ZOOM-CHATS

Donate

email sign up

© COPYRIGHT 2021. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • 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
    • Art and Culture
    • 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