Saturday, July 7, 2012

The Disappearing Cranes

Grey Crowned Crane. Status. Endangered. Found in parts of South Africa, the Congo, Uganda, Kenya and other East African countries. Although the species remains common over much of its historic range, it faces widespread and increasing threats to its habitat, particularly in the species stronghold of east Africa due to drainage, livestock overgrazing, and heavy pesticide applications. Other threats include hunting and live-trapping.
And then there were cranes.  To be honest, I didn't know much about them except for the Sandhill Cranes which number in the thousands or millions.  Then a sobering reality check.  Most cranes are endangered or nearly extinct because of hunting, habitat loss in wetland areas, or poaching.  This then changed the nature of the visit from "Look at those pretty cranes" to "Listen up!"  But before I begin, I have to tell you, I love these shots today.  In fact, I'm excited to share them with you all.  The photography shoot made me smile.....maybe because the subjects and theme were so fascinating:)   Okay so let's begin with this enlightening tour led by our guide..... the beautiful Bridget.  Although you'll have to imagine her as I didn't take a pic:)  Let's get started with the following crane below.....the Whooping Crane of Wisconsin and North America.
The Whooping Crane. Endangered. This crane was found all over North America at one time.  Now it is coming back from near extinction.  Habitat loss, weather, poaching/hunting and some natural predation still affect this bird.
This bird was nearly hunted to extinction back in 1941.  It is only two cranes found in North America besides the Sandhill Crane.  The Sandhill populations are growing in size as they are adapting to different environments.  Now this Whooping crane story nearly had a tragic ending with only 22 birds left in 1941!   I was shocked and saddened by all of this.  It parallels many stories like that of the California Condor in the Grand Canyon.
I don't know how they did it, but this species of crane today exists because of some very dedicated people who believed that they could be saved.   And it hasn't been an easy road for this crane but it is a success story we don't often hear about on the news.  The Whooping Crane is still very much endangered but the population is on the rise again.  As of 2011, there are an estimated 437 birds in the wild and more than 165 in captivity. 
This pic was taken from Wiki
The above pic is not my own but I had to show you the effort and time it has taken to train these birds how to migrate back and forth since they didn't have parents to imprint.  Look closely at this pic and you'll notice the pilot is in white.  Humans MUST dress up in a Whooping Crane outfit and feed the chicks this way or they won't be able to survive out in the wild.  And last year it was a rough one.  Each crane chick costs around 100,000 dollars to help put back into the wild.  So when hurricanes and tornadoes hit the Florida coast, where a group of these birds migrate, it hit the researchers hard.  18 cranes were released into the wild.  The storms killed 17.  One survived briefly and then soon after died.
Eurasion Crane.  Status.  Stable and increasing.  Found in over 80 countries from Russia to China to India etc.
And then there is the poaching.  5 Whooping Cranes were killed because people think it's fun to kill animals. Check this case out. Wade Bennett, 18, of Cayuga, Indiana and an unnamed juvenile pled guilty to killing First Mom(first captured crane to have successfully bred in the wild). After killing the crane, the juvenile had posed holding up its body. Bennett and the juvenile were sentenced to a $1 fine, probation, and court fees of about $500, a penalty which was denounced by various conservation organizations as being too light. The prosecuting attorney has estimated that the cost of raising and introducing to the wild one Whooping Crane could be as much as $100,000. Source  Unbelievable.
In Wisconsin, Necedah National Wildlife Refuge has done a great job in helping out with this crane.  They are beginning to nest and migrate again and this is good news for this crane species.  The Asian and African continents have their own issues.  Farming is obviously important to all of us and the cranes love to eat seed.  Farmers don't like this and shoot the cranes.  Cranes have been on the losing side of this battle for years now, but again there is a solution and.....it's working!  But it takes time and education.  A natural occurring substance known as Anthraquinone is put over the seed which the cranes do not like.  Cranes detect AQ at very low levels and avoid it. So farmers around the US and the world are using this coating liquid/powder with success. 
But the bigger topic was Wetland loss.  Wetlands are the key to the success of many cranes.  Dam construction/water use has affected many of the cranes habitat.  The solution here is to preserve the habitat, but in many countries this is not regulated resulting in the continual decline of the crane.   I'll show you several areas around my hometown that have successfully preserved the wetland areas around our rivers and Lake Michigan.
And then there is poaching.  As you can see, several of these cranes are desired for their feathers.  Several have cultural taboos that protect them.  In one country, eating a crane is bad luck. Or killing a crane will result in bad karma.  And in some Asian countries, cranes are considered good luck. 
In Japan, for example, the Red-crowned crane is revered as a sign for monogamy in marriages.  Why?  Because this crane partners with only one other in its lifetime. In some parts of its range, it is known as a symbol of luck, longevity and fidelity. Now the story behind this particular crane is interesting. The Red-crowned crane is also very much endangered.  It migrates between China, Korea and Japan.  Japan is okay as they are revered.  And in Korea, this bird is surprisingly safe.  Why?  Because they migrate between the borders of South and North Korea.  It is said that this bird could be the symbol someday that unites the countries again.  In China, the bird is also revered but there is habitat loss with China's expanding economy and population.
The Blue Crane. Found in South Africa and Namibia.  This bird is vulnerable as the population is decreasing. Poisoning, habitat alteration, and power line collisions are all significant threats to Blue Cranes.
I'm really glad we ran into the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo.  Of course, they are located in different areas.....maybe one is in your area.  Here's the website that will lead you to lots more info.  For me, it was extremely educational and makes me appreciate the Sandhill cranes even more.  I wish I could share with you the sight of 40000 cranes descending all at once.  Perhaps one day the Whooping crane will number in the thousands again.
Black Crowned Crane.  Found in Africa.  Poaching threatens this species as does habitat loss.
If I haven't responded to your blogs, it's because I randomly escaped to Mt. Lemmon for the weekend.  With the onslaught of summer school and a bad case of being locked up inside from the heat, I needed to just up and leave. I need my hikes and photography....and it really hasn't happened since this Wisconsin trip:( More tomorrow.....


25 comments:

  1. Wonderful post, Chris. Whooping cranes are near to Texans' hearts since it was, I believe, in what is now the Aransas National Refuge where they were originally saved from extinction (I remember this as a little girl). I had thought they were doing well but reading your info and checking the Internet shows me that they are indeed in trouble again!

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    1. You are correct Kathy. Bridget spoke about this at the presentation. It has been rocky in the refuge and in Florida. It seems that Necedah has had the most success of the various programs so far...little by little and maybe things will be okay. I was shocked and had a little information overload during that tour.

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  2. Such an interesting post... so much to be aware of...

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  3. Your Crane post mirrors the plight of many of our endangered birds here Chris, there is no need at all for these birds to be endangered, especially from the pathetic hunting fraternity.

    Great photo's :-)

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    1. What is it with the need to shoot and kill things? The other day, one of my students told me about how he liked to shoot golf balls with his Dad at Sandhill cranes!!! A lot of people seem to lack education or just not care. And that's what I find truly sad. We will be our end if we can't be better shephards of this planet.

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  4. Such gorgeous photos of such beautiful cranes! Glad you were able to get away for a bit. Enjoy yourself!

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  5. Once when I was kayaking in Oregon a crane followed us down the entire river from beginning to end. We could never figure out whether he liked us, or was just all, "Hey, get outta my house!"

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    1. That would have been a lot of fun. While at the presentation, a male was following us around. Some of the species are VERY territorial.

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  6. Such beautiful birds but what a sad story. I felt increasingly more depressed as I read your post. What an uphill battle conservation is!

    There is a program of reintroduction in this country. They have been missing from our wetlands since the 17th century!!!! due to drainage and hunting. In 1979 a small population re-colonised the Norfolk Broads, a former breeding site but this remained isolated until in 2009 a £700,000 grant enabled up to 100 young cranes to be reared at WWT Slimbridge and released over a five-year period in the Somerset Levels and Moors. They aim to establish a resident non-migratory breeding population of about 20 pairs of cranes by 2030, with first breeding by about 2015. Eggs are planned to be taken from a healthy breeding population from a reserve in Germany. Chicks will be hand-reared by costumed humans so chicks grow up imprinted on 'models' of cranes and not human beings! Wouldn't it be wonderful if they became a common sight again....the Cranes that is, not the humans dressed as them ;-)

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    1. That is really interesting information. Thanks for sharing it here. We dealing with two fronts here. One deals with the "Sins of our fathers." We're dealing with the careless nature of the past and dealing with the correction while on current front, we are dealing with population increase on this planet and the demands that come with it....homes and power usage....which includes water energy. Pretty crazy stuff. While in Panama last year, we saw the river dammed up at a key location. Unregulated of course. In Peru, they don't run off of a lot of the gas being drilled in the Amazon....it's being sold to the US. So where does most of their power come from? They utilize the water through dams in various parts of their country. It's amazing the global picture going on.

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  7. Great and interesting post.
    Wonderful shots of the beautiful birds.
    I wasn't able to enlarge the photos.
    Have a great weekend.
    Mette

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  8. Beautiful pictures, we only have the sandhill crane here, so the others a treat to see. Thanks for the background.

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  9. Gosh you should be incredibly proud of this post, not only are the images truly fantastic, but you draw peoples attention to such an important issue. It angers me so much when people kill any creatures just because they can, we have had a couple of incidents with young people getting drunk on Rottnest Island and killing the quokkas, they do get severely punished, but I just don't understand the mentality.. Have a wonderful hike up the mountain, it's so good to get away from it all at times.

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    1. I was wondering about Rottnest!! A bird island...or at least it sounds like it. I'm glad the consequences a little more severe for ignorant actions. It's shocking what people will do. HOpe you had a good weekend and thanks for stopping by!

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  10. Qué belleza de grullas!!!.. Una de mis aves favoritas.. Un cordial saludo..

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  11. Great post. So sad to think that some people just get a kick out of killing anything and then get by with a mere pat on the hand. It's really too bad more people don't realize how important Every species is on this shared planet.

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    1. Yeah, I just don't get that whole killing something just for the fun of it. It's sad. During the owlets nesting at our school, someone threw a ball at them. And of course, the people were never caught. The birds are okay, but it was very difficult to monitor 24/7. There are over 2000 people at this school. Most people get it, but there are a good few who just don't care. Scary.

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  12. Yes, I agree, man, the ultimate life killer.

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  13. Good for you Chris! This area was plagued with over development until the housing crash. Although we have preserved a lot of wetlend in Northern Illinois, there was still much lost. We hardley see the Snowey Egret. People take these beautiful birds for granted. And yes I applaud the Neceedah Wildlife Refuge. They do a lot with very little money. Great Post!

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  14. Great photos and info about the importance of conserving and protecting our natural resources for wildlife and their habitat.
    Thanks for sharing, Chris.

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  15. Fantastic shots indeed! I saw Crowned Cranes in Kenya, but not as many as I was expecting to see.

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  16. I can't get over the story of the crane murder. (Not the Bob Crane murder but the one you posted about.)

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  17. I have seen the Sandhill Cranes here in Maryland and some exotic cranes at the zoos. But, I would really love to see the whooping crane. I hope they do make a comeback. Awesome post on the Cranes and the photos are great.

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  18. I am so glad you were able to get away to Mt. Lemmon. Hope you enjoyed your time. Cranes are very regal birds and I can see how they would be coveted by royalty.

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Thanks for stopping by!