ST. GEORGE — A California condor whose hatching in Utah was considered a "pivotal moment" in the recovery of the species has died, according to a group overseeing species recovery efforts.

The Peregrine Fund announced Monday that 1K — the 1,000th California condor chick to hatch from the California Condor Recovery Program — was found dead in early March after biologists noticed its radio tag had stopped moving in the rugged terrain of northern Arizona.

Biologists trekked to the area where the bird's last movements were tracked and they found his carcass. A necropsy performed after the recovery confirmed the bird died of lead poisoning just before its fifth birthday.

Condors can typically live up to 60 years in the wild.

"1K's death is a tragedy because it was premature and preventable," Shawn Farry, manager of the Peregrine Fund's California Condor Program, said in a statement. "Like all condors, 1K was charismatic, often goofy, making it difficult not to form an emotional attachment to him. He had a wonderful way of endearing staff and visitors to the condor and its story, and for that, he will be missed by so many who were lucky to catch a glimpse of 1K soaring through Zion Canyon."

1K hatched near Angels Landing at Zion National Park in 2019 and made news for a pair of different reasons at the time. He was the first known California condor chick to successfully fledge at Zion National Park, and the 1,000th condor chick to hatch from an ambitious effort to repair California condor populations after the species had fallen to the brink of extinction a few decades ago.

There were just 22 California condors left on the planet by the 1980s. The species' decline is attributed to multiple things, but habitat loss and lead poisoning are considered the biggest threats to the species.

The species is important in southern Utah's ecosystem because the scavengers remove toxins and disease by scavenging dead animals. But the birds can suffer poisoning from eating lead ammunition fragments while eating animals hunted with lead ammunition, Utah wildlife officials explain.

It led to the creation of the recovery program, which has helped the global population return to over 550 across Utah, Arizona, California and Mexico.

After celebrating 1K as the 1,000th chick to hatch from the program, biologists returned to Zion National Park in 2020 to capture and study the bird. It ran some tests and released him back into the wild with a "1K" vinyl tag along with the radio receiver to help track him and learn more about the species.

At nearly 5 years old this year, 1K was still in his "awkward teenage years," Farry said. His head color was beginning to turn orange and he was about a year or two away from picking a mate and settling down. California condors mate for life and only lay down an egg every two years, which is also why it's taken a long time to increase populations.

California condors — still an endangered species — also remained threatened by habitat loss and lead poisoning. 1K is one of over 50 California condors from the Utah-Arizona flock that have died from lead poisoning since 1996.

Peregrine Fund officials said nearly all condors they've been able to capture and test have high levels of lead in their blood, including high exposure in the region. 1K's sister, 1111, is one of them. She was sent to a wildlife rehabilitation center earlier this year after tests found she had the "highest lead value recorded in a live bird in the program's 28-year history."

She was released back into the wild after "several months of intensive care," the organization added.

Utah is one of several states that has worked to reduce lead ammunition use. In 2011, the state launched a voluntary program to help hunters reduce lead ammunition use, following a similar program Arizona debuted in 2005, according to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

The Utah program still offers hunters in the division's Zion Unit a $50 coupon for non-lead ammunition. Those who apply are also entered in a raffle to win an $800 gift certificate for outdoor merchandise.

Yet, lead hasn't been the only concern, as of late.

Related:

State, feds seek information about 2 'critically endangered' condors illegally killed in Utah

State and federal wildlife officials are asking for the public's help in figuring out who illegally killed two "critically endangered" bird species near Zion National Park within the past two years.

Monday's announcement also comes from a pair of other issues impacting the Utah-Arizona flock. Utah wildlife officials are investigating a pair of cases where condors were illegally killed in Iron County over the past two years. There was also an avian influenza outbreak that ultimately killed 21 birds in the flock — all on the Arizona side.

Those trying to get California condor populations to recover say they don't plan to stop anytime soon because of these different issues. Four condors bred at zoos are set to be released into the Utah-Arizona flock this September as part of continued efforts to save the species.

"1K's death is a reminder that there is still work that needs to be done before we can take a step back and call this a conservation success story," said Tim Hauck, director of the California Condor Program. "The California condor has experienced a difficult past year, but the trajectory of the program continues to move upward thanks to the resiliency of the condor and the hard work of so many in the recovery effort."

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