1K is, or rather, was the 1,000th condor chick to hatch from the California Condor Recovery program and the first to fledge in Zion National Park.
“We all got to watch him grow up, which is rare. It’s rare to even see a condor, let alone watch one jump out of a nest for its very first time ever, and see it fly around, and just learn how to be a condor. And it's all in the wild. This bird was not born in captivity," said Sierra Martin, a wildlife technician in Zion National Park who formerly worked as a California condor field biologist for the Peregrine Fund. That’s where she got to know 1K.
“He’s just a very special bird to me and his mom was the first Condor that I had ever seen that got me just absolutely obsessed with condors and learning all about them,” she said.
Unfortunately, 1K’s parents also died due to lead poisoning and his sister, 1111, is the last surviving member of his family. She was also recently treated for lead poisoning and she’s by no means alone in this.
“About 90 plus percent of the condors in the wild, free flying population have some exposure to lead when we trap and treat them over the winter,” said Martin.
If hunters keep using lead, 1111 will require annual treatments for lead poisoning. A single lead contaminated carcass can impact up to 20 condors and many other animals. Because lead poisoning effects not just condors, but all scavengers. Martin says the solution is simple, stop using lead.
“We've gotten lead out of gasoline, out of paint, we've removed it from hunting waterfowl, and we just need to take that one step further to get it out of hunting big game,” she said.
It’s important to note that Martin is anti-lead, not anti-hunting or anti-gun. She sees lead poisoning as an environmental issue, not a gun rights issue. She recognizes that hunters can play a vital role in conservation and that game animals’ gut piles, for instance, can greatly benefit scavengers. However, since a single lead bullet can fragment into 1000s of little pieces, they may spell death for many animals. But there are alternatives.
“If you have a hunting tag on the Zion unit, where the condors range extends in Utah, with your hunting tag, you get a voucher to get a free box of copper ammunition at the partnering stores like Sportsman's warehouse and stuff like that in Cedar City,” said Martin.
By offering incentives and informing the public, Martin hopes to shift away from lead ammunition entirely and thus save the California condor.
For those interested in learning more about nonlead alternatives, check out the North American Non-lead Partnership or the Utah Non-lead Program on the Zion hunting unit, “Hunters Helping Condors." For more information about 1K, check out the Zion National Park Press Release About 1K Fledging in 2019, the Peregrine Fund article about when 1K got tagged in 2020, or the KSL article about his passing in 2024.
