More than 300 pupils from 18 schools took to the streets of Kitale on Friday as the Kenya Crane Festival brought together communities, conservationists, and county leaders to celebrate the Grey Crowned Crane and call for stronger protection of the wetlands on which the endangered bird depends.
We are excited to announce that there are four new Whooping Cranes flying over the wetlands of Wisconsin! Each spring, Whooping Cranes return to their home marshes, pile vegetation high to build their nests, and carefully lay up to two eggs. They incubate their eggs for about a month, and then fuzzy little Whooping Crane chicks hatch.
On September 9, 2026, the Government of Mongolia awarded Dr. George Archibald, Co-founder of the International Crane Foundation, the Medal of Nairamdal (Friendship) in recognition of his more than three decades of contribution to crane and wetland conservation and international cooperation in Mongolia.
During August, two more Whooping Crane chicks reached fledging age in the Eastern Migratory Population!
On the opposite end of Crane City lives a pair of female Black-necked Cranes, Gimli and Glacier. Over the past several years, Gimli and Glacier have laid eggs and have done a fantastic job incubating valuable Whooping Crane eggs. Still, it was high time for them to shine by helping out their own species and raising a chick of their own, preferably a male.
In July, the year’s first two chicks fledged in the Eastern Migratory Population!
In a significant milestone, the programme has provided 142 modern beehives, along with honey harvesting kits and processing machines, to local groups. But the most important investment has not been in equipment. It has been in people. Before the hives were handed over, beneficiaries underwent hands-on training in apiary management, learning how to care for bees, harvest honey, and process it into marketable products that can support long-term income generation.
How do you protect the bird that wears a golden crown—the living emblem of Uganda herself—when the very wetlands she calls home are disappearing, farmers are poisoning birds out of desperation, new power lines are cutting through crane flyways, and communities cannot choose conservation over survival?
On 5th June 2026, the International Crane Foundation partnered with the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment and other stakeholders to commemorate World Environment Day at Lusaka National Park in Lusaka under the national theme, “Accelerating Zambia’s Climate Action for Green Growth and Sustainability.”
Zambia has taken a major step toward securing the future of the Kafue Flats, one of the country’s most important ecosystems, with the launch of seven General Management Plans for protected areas by the former Minister of Tourism, Mr. Rodney Sikumba.
