MARBLE CANYON — Four captive-bred California condors soared off a Vermilion Cliffs release pen north of the Grand Canyon on Sept. 26, joining a recovery flock that biologists say still cannot survive without constant human intervention against lead poisoning.
The 30th annual release, hosted by The Peregrine Fund with the Bureau of Land Management and partners, drew more than 100 spectators to the Condor Viewing Site. Program director Tim Hauck radioed the cliff crew to open the doors; Condor 1365, the only male of the quartet, eventually bolted west toward the Kaibab Plateau, followed by three females. All four hatched last spring at a Boise breeding facility and were driven across Nevada for acclimation, according to Arizona Republic reporting published Oct. 2.
The Arizona-Utah population numbered about 92 birds before the release. Nationwide, roughly 392 California condors lived in the wild as of last year, up from 29 wild birds three decades ago, but the species remains critically endangered. Biologists cite lead fragments in hunter-shot carcasses as the leading cause of death; Arizona Game and Fish says voluntary lead-free ammunition use in the condor range has climbed to about 85% of hunters, yet warmer, low-snow winters leave more contaminated gut piles exposed.
Wild nesting is a bright spot: 74 condors have fledged in Arizona and Utah since the first Grand Canyon wild fledge in 2003, Peregrine Fund staff said. Radio and GPS tracking continue after each release so crews can trap birds for blood tests, treat lead exposure and keep roadkill and predators from undoing the recovery.
For northern Arizona communities along U.S. 89A, the annual festival has become both a tourist draw and a reminder that the nation’s largest flying land bird still depends on public-land stewardship — and on hunters choosing non-lead ammo — to stay in the sky.