DESIGNER

Pedram Yazdan Nezhad

PROFILE/DESCRIPTION

An Unromantic Message From the Grand Canyon: Stop Leaving Your Love Locks

“Love is strong,” Grand Canyon National Park said. “But it is not as strong as our bolt cutters.” 

By Friday, rangers had removed dozens of love locks from fences at the Grand Canyon, one of the country’s most beloved national parks and, since around 2006, a magnet for romantic gestures involving the locks.The dangers they pose to wildlife are particularly troubling because the love lock custom typically involves throwing away their corresponding keys into the canyon, he said. 

That could cause trouble for California condors, critically endangered birds that can have wingspans of nearly 10 feet. The Park Service said that, “like a small child,” condors like to investigate strange things with their mouths, including shiny keys. 

Wildlife officials worry that condors will ingest the keys — or other metallic items like coins, which people toss into the canyon — and possibly die. 

Mr. Stebbins said he was not aware of a case in which a condor ate a key and died but said “it’s always a possibility.”