March 28, 2005
Condor Program Moves Back One Square With the Loss of 305
Very sad news report from Chad Olson of the Grand Canyon Science Center:
"We found Condor #305 dead last Saturday. Recall, this is the wild chick from Salt Creek/2003. We suspect he died sometime around the 19th of March, but the cause of death is still unknown. We recovered the body about 1200 ft below Yavapai Point below the South Rim. The bird will now be sent to the San Diego Zoo for a full necropsy, and I only hope we learn what actually caused the death.
This has come as an absolute shock to everyone involved in the program. Condor 305 was moving around extensively and had even been at the release site and seen feeding recently. I'll let everybody know as soon as more details become available."