Do you remember Whooping Crane 16-23’s (a.k.a. Animal’s) big adventure earlier this spring? This young crane was reported by local birders in a residential neighborhood of Wilmette, a suburb of Chicago, in late April. She had gotten off course during her first northern migration, and we were concerned about her safety in this busy area.
April 24, 2024 (Wilmette, Illinois) – A young Whooping Crane, 16-23 a.k.a. Animal, was reported by local birders in a residential neighborhood of Wilmette, a suburb of Chicago, Tuesday morning.
Since 2014, European zoos, particularly Brno Zoo and the Environmental Educational Centre of the Czech Republic, have cooperated with the Station for the Reintroduction of Rare Bird Species at the Khingansky State Nature Reserve in Far East Russia to return Red-crowned and White-naped Cranes to the wild.
The combined wild populations of two iconic Asian crane species – the Endangered Red-crowned Crane and Vulnerable White-naped Crane – are less than 10,000 birds. Because of the precarious situation of these wild populations, the world’s zoos have established conservation populations for both species. Within the European Association of Zoological Gardens and Aquaria (EAZA), both species fall into the Ex-situ Programme (EEP), formerly known as the European Endangered Species Programme, which establishes population management programs for selected species. One of the Program’s goals is to have a large enough captive population, if necessary, to return birds to the wild.
