Donate for your favorite to help us name our next Whooping Crane chick!

Each spring, the International Crane Foundation hatches a cohort of Whooping Crane chicks here at our headquarters in Baraboo to bolster the population of this extremely rare species. We carefully prepare the chicks in human care so that they’re ready to join wild adult Whooping Cranes in the marsh in the fall. Our staff select a theme for each year’s chick names. They chose Chinese horse breeds this year because 2026 is the auspicious Year of the Fire Horse in the Chinese zodiac. 

Which name should we choose? Pick one of the three names below and make a donation to the International Crane Foundation to tip the scales for your favorite:

Takhi (pronounced TAH-kee) – the alternative name for the Przewalski’s Horse, an endangered wild horse breed found in Mongolia

Yili (pronounced yee-lee)- a small horse breed mainly used for riding

Abaga (pronounced AH-bah-gah) – a Chinese Mongolian racehorse breed famous for its black coat

The naming opportunity opens June 2 and closes at midnight on Saturday, June 20. We’ll announce the results the following week.

Photo: Whooping Crane chick. Tom Lynn