While vociferousness is typically associated with cranes – “the trumpet in the orchestra of evolution” to quote Aldo Leopold – one of the largest of the 15 species, the Wattled Crane of Africa, is usually silent. Occasionally one might hear a piercing high-pitched Guard Call or Flight Call and on extremely rare occasions a short duet or Unison Call by a mated pair that lasts but a few seconds. If you are close to a pair or family of Wattled Cranes, one can frequently hear the low burr-like Contact Call, perhaps an expression of proximity and assurance.
Author: Sara
The Endangered Wildlife Trust Responds to Blue Crane Mass Poisoning Allegations in South Africa
Earlier this week, media coverage of the possible poisoning of 200-1,000 Blue Cranes over a three-year period by a farmer in the Northern Cape of South Africa made headlines within the conservation community. ICF’s South Africa based partner The Endangered Wildlife Trust responded immediately to these allegations by contacting the agency responsible for the official investigation and is assisting wherever possible in the investigation.
The Journey of Hope
In August 2014, a team of scientists from the International Crane Foundation, Mongolian Wildlife Science and Conservation Center, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, and U.S. Forest Service traveled to the Khurkh and Khuiten River Valleys of northern Mongolia to study this important breeding area for White-naped Cranes.
Suspected Shooting of a Whooping Crane in Aransas Bay, Texas
Only two weeks after the announcement of a tragic Whooping Crane shooting in Louisiana this fall, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) have announced the recent death of a Whooping Crane in Texas, also due to a shooting.
International Teaching Opportunity for Milwaukee Co Educators!
ICF is accepting applications from teachers and nature center educators working in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin to lead a teacher workshop and summer camp at Muraviovka Park (Amur Region, Russia) in June-July 2015.
Endangered Whooping Crane Shot in Louisiana
On Wednesday, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries announced the illegal shooting of a Whooping Crane in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana – along with an award of up to $10,000 for information on this crime.
Appeals Court Denies Request to Reconsider Whooping Crane Ruling in Texas
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has declined The Aransas Project’s (TAP) request to re-consider the Court’s June decision to overturn a 2013 ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Janis Jack, which concluded that Whooping Cranes, as an Endangered species, should be considered when decisions are made about water removal from the Guadalupe and San Antonio rivers that nourish coastal Texas Whooping Crane habitat.
Notes from the President
It has been a time of reflection and celebration in the world of cranes and craniacs. We commemorated the 100-year passing of the last passenger pigeon, once the most abundant bird in North America, with a strong reminder that extinction is forever and the conservation stakes have never been higher.
Notes from the President: Cheorwon Basin Winter Refuge for Cranes in Korea
Can you imagine seeing seven species of cranes in one morning?!? Today our group visited the remarkable Cheorwon basin of South Korea near the Demilitarized Zone that divides the Korean peninsula. Cheorwon is renowned for the large concentrations of wintering Red-crowned and White-naped Cranes that feed on waste grain in this agricultural landscape – one of the very best places to see these two endangered species.
Louisiana Welcomes ICF Whooping Cranes
The four Whooping Crane chicks reared at ICF this year are in Louisiana! The chicks, along with ten additional Whooping Crane chicks hatched at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland, had jet service to Louisiana today thanks to the Windway Capital Corporation.