Region: Asia

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As important symbols of longevity, happiness and nobility, Cranes present a beautiful image in Chinese culture and are often associated with blessings and good wishes. Therefore, the International Crane Foundation’s China Program initiated an online campaign during the 2021 Spring Festival under the program “One Yangtze River With Thousands of Cranes,” supported by Huatai Securities. The Yangtze River basin supports several species of wintering cranes, including nearly the entire population of the critically endangered Siberian Crane.

Region: Asia

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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.

Region: Asia

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“Welcome Siberian Cranes to their wintering area in Kuixiang, Guangdong Province” by Long Baichuan

If a picture is worth a thousand words, an image of a crane is visual poetry. Cranes are beautiful and elegant large wading birds found on every continent except South America and Antarctica. East Asia has the largest number of crane species in the world, with nine of the 15 species. Cranes also have special cultural significance in East Asia, especially in China, South Korea and Japan. However, cranes continue to face increasing threats, including climate change, habitat degradation and loss, human disturbance, and are at risk of population decline or even extinction in the wild.

Region: Asia

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As I reflect on our accomplishments during this challenging year, I have never been prouder of our team and how together we have become stronger, never wavering in our mission in a time of crisis. Long before the pandemic began spreading across the globe, we were combatting global crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. And as our latest Annual Report 2020 reflects, we are making a difference together while keeping our teams safe and strong.

Region: Asia

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Welcome to the latest edition of Cranetivities! Join us this week as we learn more about fall migration. You can find our most recent edition of Cranetivities here.

Region: Asia

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On the afternoon of March 16, 2018, a man riding his motorcycle along the bank of the Liao River near Shenyang, Liaoning Province, was surprised to see a flock of large white birds across the river. He stopped and used his mobile phone to take photos, but the noise alarmed the birds, which took flight. Not far away, a group of volunteers was also watching these birds. They were conducting a synchronized migration survey of the white birds – Siberian Cranes.

Region: Asia

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Welcome back to another fun edition of Cranetivities! You can access last week’s and all of our editions of Cranetivities here. This week we have a simple and fun activity: NATURE BINGO!

The goal of nature bingo is to win by putting checks on the paper and by experiencing the natural world around you. No matter where you live, you can hear birds, see flowers and find natural spaces to explore.