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Rare Sarus Crane Chick Hatches at ICF

Baraboo, WI – On Monday, August 18, 2014, a rare Sarus Crane (Grus antigone) chick named Curry, hatched at the International Crane Foundation (ICF). The parents are Majnu, a 51 year-old male who hatched in the wild in India, and Chandini, a 14 year-old female. As a wild-hatched crane, Majnu carries genes that are highly valued for the captive Sarus Crane population, and off-spring like Curry are important to having healthy zoo flocks in the future.

Curry’s mother, Chandini, is on loan from the Gulf Breeze Zoo in Florida. Both she and Majnu are included in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan (SSP) for Sarus Cranes in North America. There are currently more than 500 SSPs, each one established so that zoos can coordinate care and breeding for species that are of high conservation value, such as the Sarus Crane. The global population of Sarus Cranes, the world’s tallest flying bird, is considered vulnerable due to further threats from habitat change and development in its range across south and southeast Asia and Australia. Click here to learn more about ICF’s efforts to protect Sarus Cranes in the wild.

Chandini is a first-time mother, and she is proving to be a great parent. She will feed Curry until the chick is old enough to learn to find food and water on its own, as well as teach the chick about recognizing potential dangers, such as a hawk in the sky, and how to be a Sarus Crane. Visit Chandini and Curry at ICF, which is open every day through October 31, 2014 between 9 am and 5pm.

Founded in 1973, ICF is a non-profit conservation organization committed to the wetlands, watersheds, and flyways on which cranes, other biodiversity, and people all depend.  Learn how you can support ICF’s work by becoming a member today.

ICF is open daily April 15 – October 31, 9 am – 5 pm and is located at E11376 Shady Lane Road between Baraboo and Wisconsin Dells. For more information please visit www.savingcranes.org or call 608-356-9462 ext 121.