Initiative: Monitoring

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For decades, conservationists have worked to combat threats that nearly drove the Whooping Crane to extinction. Their population hit a historic low of only 21 individuals in the wild in the 1940s. As part of the effort to save the species, a population of migratory Whooping Cranes was reintroduced to Wisconsin in 2001, known as the Eastern Migratory Population, or EMP. Today, the EMP consists of around 70 individuals who spend their summers in Wisconsin before migrating further south for the winter, mostly in Alabama and Indiana. Through this reintroduction and countless other conservation measures, there are now about 700 Whooping Cranes in the wild in three populations. Despite this impressive growth, threats continue to emerge that threaten the species’ survival, and these must be met with creative research, dedicated partnerships, and decisive action to safeguard the future of Whooping Cranes.

Initiative: Monitoring

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During December, the 2025 Whooping Crane cohort in the Eastern Migratory Population appears to be doing well, and cranes migrated south to their wintering grounds!

Initiative: Monitoring

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For over 70 years, scientists and conservationists have come to understand the habitat needs of the Aransas-Wood Buffalo Population of Whooping Cranes. However, Whooping Cranes continue to surprise us, and they are increasingly using habitat away from the coast.

Initiative: Monitoring

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A newly commissioned modern office block at Blue Lagoon National Park Headquarters at Naleza will serve as a vital hub for Wildlife management, research, and community engagement in Zambia’s Kafue Flats.

Initiative: Monitoring

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Our teams from Texas and Wisconsin collaborated to compile all available information on over-summering on the wintering grounds for the two current migratory Whooping Crane populations: the Aransas Wood Buffalo Population and the Eastern Migratory Population.

Initiative: Monitoring

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Zambia holds a special place in global crane conservation. The country hosts more than half of the world’s Vulnerable Wattled Crane (Bugeranus carunculatus) population, alongside the Endangered Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum). These iconic birds depend on vast wetlands such as the Kafue Flats, Bangweulu Wetlands, Liuwa Plain National Park, Busanga Swamps, and Barotse Floodplains for their survival.