Abstract
Revered in art and literature for thousands of years, cranes in their elegance and grace symbolize man's affinity for nature, and his precarious relationship with the natural environment is reflected in their precipitous decline. So awed by cranes were ancient and primitive peoples that they imbued them with divine qualities, while the aboriginies of)apan saw them as the God of the Marsh. Today, peoples of the Orient recognize in chem the spirit of happiness, fidelity, and longevity.
Reverence alone, unfortunately, has not been enough to sustain the world's crane populations in the wake of mankind's rapacious lust for land and resources. Squeezed into ever-shrinking habitat reserves, nearly half of the ftfteen species of cranes are presently threatened or endangered, qualifying the family Gruiidae as one of the most pressured groups of birds on earth.
Since man has largely been responsible for their decline, it is only fitting he assume the responsibility for their survival. Among those rallying to this challenging cause has been the International Crane Foundation (ICF), founded in 1973 by Dr. George Archibald and Ron Sauey on the 65 acre Sauey family farm near Baraboo, Wisconsin.
The ICF has pursued a multidimensional program of scientific research, captive propagation, education, and preservation of crane habitats worldwide. In these efforts they have made great strides.
Since 1973 ICF has bred 13 of the world's cranes and has a current population of over 130 birds. Their efforts would not have succeeded without the patience and imagination of the ICF aviculture staff, who have attempted to simulate the natural environments of their subjects. To reproduce the hooded crane, for example, the staff placed floodlights atop the pens turning them on at night to simulate the Midnight Sun that occurs in the hooded's northern latitude habitat in the Soviet Union. Results: the first hooded bred in captiviry in 1976.
ICF's captive propagation program has received the support of numerous individuals and organizations who have donated financial aid, birds, and advice. The World Wildlife Fund-US has underwritten the care and propagation of Siberian cranes, one of - if not THE - rarest of cranes, and the Johnson Wax Foundation and Johnson-Japan have supported the red crowned crane (aka Manchurian crane;Japanese crane) breeding program.
ICF has not ignored North America's indigenous species, devoting considerable attention to the plight of the whooping crane, whose population had dwindled to a handful of survivors by the 1950s. In a much-publicized effort to induce their captive female, Tex, to breed, Dr. Archibald donned white cape and red cap to dance the nuptial display of whoopers. The results would have astounded the likes of Fred Astaire; for Tex, who was imprinted on humans, was enticed into accepting artificial insemination. (Ginger Rogers look out, whereever you are!)
Perhaps more noteworthy has been the success of !Cf's international efforts to identify and preserve crane habitats. Acting in concert with the China Ministry of Forestry, the Iran Department of the Environment, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the USSR Ministry of Agriculture, the ICF has helped these agencies and the governments they represent to set aside critical habitats for wintering and breeding grounds, some of which were unknown until recently. For example, in 1972 Dr. Archibald in company with Professor Hiroyuki Masatomi and Dr. Tamaka Kitagawa successfully discovered the nesting grounds of the red-crowned cranes on Hokkaido (lapan) from the air, while searching the marshlands in a small fixed-wing aircraft.
Two years later at the Korean demilitarized zone, north of Seoul, Dr. Archibald observed 1500 white naped cranes wading in wetlands only 19 miles from a city of eight million people. Left undeveloped as an invasion route in the event of war, this area has subsequently been set aside as a national monument, thanks in part to Dr. Archibald's efforts, the efforts of local ornithologists, and an effective media campaign.
Cooperation between the ICF and the governments of China, Japan, India, Iran, and the Soviet Union have produced international success stories not often witnessed in other fields of endeavor. ICF will continue to grow and move forward in the decade ahead. A proposal is on the drawing board to make the red-crowned crane a contemporary symbol of good fortune by bringing China, North and South Korea, Japan and the USSR together in a cooperative program for their recovery. Such efforts emphasize the common interests of men of all nations and minimizes their differences, perhaps a portent of a future where people can learn to Live together in peace.