Three Siberian Crane Sculptures Unveiled at Shanghai Disney Resort’s Wishing Star Park
Marking a Decade of Siberian Crane Conservation Collaboration Between Disney and the International Crane Foundation
The new Siberian Crane sculptures take flight over Wishing Star Park at Shanghai Disney Resort.
Shanghai, October 9, 2026 – Three Siberian Crane sculptures were unveiled at Wishing Star Park at Shanghai Disney Resort, celebrating the achievements of the decade-long “Siberian Crane Eastern Population Conservation Project” (2015–2024) implemented by the International Crane Foundation with support from the Disney Conservation Fund and dedicated teams at Shanghai Disney Resort and across the company.
The sculptures, highlighting endangered Siberian Cranes with wings spread as if about to take flight, represented ten years of crane conservation. Representatives from the Foundation, Shanghai Disney Resort, and the Jiangxi Provincial Forestry Bureau jointly unveiled the sculptures.
The Siberian Crane sculptures were created by Canadian metal artist Richard van Heuvelen, who also designed a series of Whooping Crane sculptures for the International Crane Foundation’s global headquarters in Wisconsin, U.S.A.
During the ceremony, International Crane Foundation representatives reviewed the 10-year partnership with the Disney Conservation Fund and presented the significant results achieved in protecting Siberian Cranes and their habitats along the Eastern flyway. Representatives from Jiangxi Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve shared their on-the-ground conservation experience, while the sculptor spoke about his deep connection with cranes and the inspiration behind the work. Nearly 70 participants, including Shanghai Disney Resort cast members, local school students and teachers, and media, witnessed the event.
Top: Nearly 70 participants, including Shanghai Disney Resort cast members, local school students and teachers, and media, gathered for the sculpture unveiling ceremony. Above: The International Crane Foundation’s East Asia Director Yu Qian addresses participants during the ceremony.
The Siberian Crane is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and is a first-class nationally protected wild animal in China. Its Eastern population breeds primarily in northeastern Russia and winters at Poyang Lake in the lower and middle Yangtze River Basin in China. Since the Disney Conservation Fund began funding the Foundation’s Siberian Crane conservation work in 2015, it has been able to direct more than $3M to help support a transformational story of success – the Eastern Population has doubled in number, growing from fewer than 3,500 cranes to nearly 7,000.
The International Crane Foundation has worked on crane conservation in China since 1979 and has maintained a three-decade partnership with Jiangxi Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve. During the project period, the Foundation carried out systematic conservation actions with partners across breeding, staging, and wintering grounds through applied research, habitat protection and restoration, community engagement, and environmental education. In December 2024, the International Crane Foundation and Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve signed a new three-year cooperation agreement (2025–2027), launching the Poyang Lake Sublakes Habitat Restoration and Management and Community Development Project.
Currently, with support from Disney, the Poyang Lake Sublakes Habitat Restoration and Management and Community Development Project is progressing well. In the future, the International Crane Foundation and Shanghai Disney Resort will also jointly develop environmental education activities centered on the Siberian Crane sculptures, aiming to raise public awareness of this critically endangered species and inspire more people to join conservation efforts.
