Crested crane faces extinction

Nov 25, 2007

THE early morning sun rays shimmer timidly on our weary faces as we drive through our last game park. We have been through Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth, Kibale Forest, and Ishasha game parks on an eight-day tour.

By Oscar Bamuhigirire

THE early morning sun rays shimmer timidly on our weary faces as we drive through our last game park. We have been through Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth, Kibale Forest, and Ishasha game parks on an eight-day tour.

I ponder over the past days with joy and sadness. I realise that throughout our journey, we had not chanced upon a single crested crane.

“Something must be wrong,” I say. Suddenly, I scream out in profound joy: “There is a crested crane up there in the tree.” My colleague, Robert Bulega, stops the four-wheel drive and Nancy Sanga, an American tourist, points her zoom lens digital camera at the dirty bird to take shots. It is an exhilarating moment, yet we may not have another since the crested crane is a hard-to-find bird. I have since come to learn that crested cranes, once abundant in Uganda, are now an endangered species.

Research by Meine, Curt D. and George W. Archibald (Eds), in their 1996 report: The Cranes: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan — The International Union for the Conservation of Natural Resources (IUCN), indicate that the crested crane is endangered. They reveal that the total African population has declined by approximately 15% over the last two decades, having abandoned certain areas of its former range. The crested crane’s global population is estimated at between 85,000 and 95,000, with the majority being represented by the East African sub-species (Balearica regulorum gibbericeps).

Eleven of the 15 species are listed as threatened. The Blue Crane is listed as critically endangered due to its steep decline in recent decades. Five species (Wattled, Siberian, Sarus, Whopping and Red-crowned) are listed as endangered, while five others (Black and Grey Crowned, White-naped, Hooded, and Black-necked) as vulnerable. The remaining species (Demoiselle, Sandhill, Brolga and Eurasian) are considered lower risk due to their higher population.

“Three species — the Whopping, Red-crowned, and Siberian Cranes — exist in such low numbers (205, 1,700–2,000 and 2,900–3,000, respectively) that special steps, including captive propagation, are being taken to assure their survival,” IUCN reports. “The Whopping Crane has been among the world’s most carefully monitored and managed wildlife species since reaching the brink of extinction in the 1940s. The Blue, Wattled, Sarus, White-naped, Hooded and Black-necked cranes still exist in the low thousands. However, unless these birds and their habitats are effectively protected, they could easily follow the path of the more critically imperiled species.”

According to IUCN findings, South Africa’s endemic Blue Crane numbers about 21,000. However, since 1980, the species has declined significantly due to poisoning and extensive loss of grasslands to afforestation.

The Black Crowned crane has declined significantly in sub-Saharan West Africa as a result of heavy human population, development pressures and drought. The species is on the verge of being, extirpated from several countries, including Nigeria, where it is the national bird.

The Indian Sarus Crane, is declining in numbers and has been extirpated from much of its historic range. The Eastern Sarus Crane has been reduced to no more than 1,500 birds in South-east Asia. Two of the six sub-species of the Sandhill Crane — the Mississippi and Cuban Sandhill Cranes, number only about 120 and 300 birds, respectively.

“The most abundant crane species — the Sandhill, Demoiselle and Eurasian — offer other conservation lessons and challenges,” says IUCN. Some of these species have also recovered dramatically. For example, the eastern population of Greater Sandhill cranes in the Great Lakes region of North America and the Eurasian Cranes in western Europe have increased steadily in the past decades.”

Thomas Otim, the education and information manager of the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, says a recent survey found the crested crane is being threatened by clearance and degradation of wetlands.

“Nests of the cranes were sighted in only 13 out of 21 districts. This is a clear indication that the breeding, feeding and resting grounds (wetlands) are declining drastically, thus affecting the bird’s population,” he said. According to the International Crane Foundation, Africa is home to six species of cranes; the Black Crowned, Grey Crowned, Wattled, Blue Cranes, Wintering Eurasian and Demoiselle cranes.

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