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.
This rule change directly threatens the continued recovery of the Endangered Whooping Crane, one of the first species protected by the Endangered Species Act
Today’s actions directly threaten recovery of the Endangered Whooping Crane, one of the first species protected by the Endangered Species Act
This year’s chicks are getting bigger in the Eastern Migratory Whooping Crane population!
Annual USFWS aerial surveys estimate 540 Whooping Cranes near Aransas NWR in 2025–2026 — roughly flat with last year’s estimate of 557 — as the species enters its tenth year above 500 individuals.
