East African crowned crane Archives

In its third consecutive year of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo members’ support, International Crane Foundation’s work to save crowned cranes in East Africa is gaining momentum. The project, based in Kenya, is critical in understanding why wild crowned crane populations have declined by more than 80 percent in 25 years.

“We have to learn why something is happening before we can intelligently change that course,” said Philip Waugh, lead keeper in Water’s Edge: Africa. Waugh, along with his team, cares for Inzi and Tagi, CMZoo’s two East African crowned cranes. He first championed this conservation project in March 2020. “I hope our members know what a huge impact they’re making for these incredible birds. This research wouldn’t be possible without our members.”

A vital element of the project, led by International Crane Foundation (ICF), in partnership with Endangered Wildlife Trust, is identifying individual cranes. The team locates crane nests, and once the fledglings are born, they apply a combination of color-coded bands to the chicks’ legs. Then the researchers track them as they grow up and compare data to see why some populations survive and others don’t.

Thanks to knowledge gained since beginning this project in 2020, ICF now believes there is a significant gap in the number of juvenile birds surviving to adulthood. Cranes seem to hatch and fledge at a healthy rate, but far fewer than expected make it to mature adulthood. Identifying what threats these juvenile birds face, and helping them survive to breeding age, could be the key to saving this species.

“Once a crane reaches maturity, its plumage doesn’t change, and there are no obvious visual indications of age,” said Waugh. “We could think we see a healthy flock of cranes, but they could all be well beyond breeding age. We need to know why one population of cranes is living into its late twenties, while another population isn’t surviving to adulthood.”

Each colored band on a bird’s leg tells an important piece of its story. One band indicates its country of origin, another defines where it was banded, and another specifies when it was born. We will learn a lot about which waterways the cranes depend on, how many offspring each crane typically contributes to a population, how they prefer to roost and their movement patterns.

The team is covering a lot of ground, and learning a lot about crowned cranes. In 2020, the team banded 48 chicks. In 2021, they banded 79. In the last year, they also banded a clutch of four chicks. Most crowned cranes lay 1-2 eggs per clutch. There are fewer than ten records of a group of eggs this large ever documented in Kenya. More great news, all four chicks in that family survived and were banded! Researchers also observed the first-ever recorded instance of East African (also known as Grey) crowned cranes nesting in a tree.

“They’ve been wanting to start this fieldwork for more than a decade, so when they learned our members could potentially support it, they were excited and so were we,” said Waugh. “It’s inspiring to see how ICF and our members have prioritized this project. It goes to show that just by being a member at CMZoo, you can make big impacts for conservation around the world. Our members have allowed an organization with a presence on multiple continents to focus a lot of energy on this one project.”

A vital piece of any conservation success is local community support. In their recent report, ICF said they have been encouraged by local support for the banding project. Community members have been helping conservationists by reporting sightings of the birds. They attribute this positive community response to increased community engagement.

Every membership and every visit to CMZoo are conservation in action. Since 2015, the Member Conservation Vote has provided $525,000 of membership revenue to support field conservation worldwide. Each year, a total of $100,000 of membership revenue is contributed to conservation in two ways:

$25,000 to the Quarters for Conservation program, which in total contributes half a million dollars on average annually to CMZoo’s legacy conservation partners
$75,000 to projects voted for by CMZoo members through the annual vote

Last week, CMZoo members voted to decide how each of seven nominated conservation projects will be funded in 2022, including a continuation of this effort to save East African crowned cranes. Stay tuned for the results, coming soon!

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Last month, members cast their votes to help the Zoo decide how to spend $75,000 of member conservation funds among five conservation projects vying for support. The three projects with the most votes will receive the full funding they requested. The number of votes received for the remaining two projects will help CMZoo decide how to distribute the remaining funds.

“This annual vote is another reminder that a membership to CMZoo helps save wildlife and wild places, and we’re grateful that our members have allowed us to do this for six years now,” said Dr. Liza Dadone, vice president of mission and programs at CMZoo. “In addition to supporting our legacy projects through Quarters for Conservation, the membership funds allow us to consider new projects and to act quickly in conservation crises, like we did last year when we sent $20,000 to Australia bush fire recovery efforts. It’s inspiring to see our members so passionate about conservation.”

Every membership and every visit to the Zoo is conservation in action. Since 2015, including this year’s contributions, the Member Conservation Vote has provided $525,000 of membership revenue to support field conservation worldwide. Each year, a total of $100,000 of membership revenue is contributed to conservation in two ways:

$25,000 to the Quarters for Conservation program, which in total contributes half a million dollars on average annually to CMZoo’s legacy conservation partners.
$75,000 to projects voted for by CMZoo members through this annual vote.

This year’s conservation project recipients, in order of votes received, are:

Reforest a wildlife corridor and help save ORANGUTANS in Borneo – FULLY FUNDED ($20,000)
In support of two established organizations working to save species in Southeast Asia, this grant will help the HUTAN organization provide tools and funds to local women reforesting the Genting Wildlife Corridor. It will also help the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF) repair orangutan rehabilitation islands damaged by a devastating flood. The HUTAN corridor is an important animal ‘wildway’ that will connect virgin rainforest with a wildlife sanctuary and is needed by hundreds of species in the area, like orangutans and Asian forest elephants. The BOSF grant provides emergency funds to reopen islands used for orangutan housing and forest school prior to release.
Track AMERICAN BLACK BEAR movements in Colorado – FULLY FUNDED ($14,500)
In a new partnership with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, this grant will fund the placement of GPS collars on black bear juveniles to collect information about their movements and habitat use after rehabilitation and reintroduction. This valuable data will support ongoing efforts to reduce human-bear wildlife conflicts in the Pikes Peak Region. One of the main drivers of human-bear conflicts is unsecured trash, which serves as a strong attractant for bears. Unfortunately, female bears with cubs can be drawn to unsecured trash and human-wildlife conflicts can then lead to orphaned bear juveniles. Colorado Parks and Wildlife rescues and rehabilitates these young bears, and releases them once they are old enough to live successfully in the wild. As human developments sprawl into historical bear habitat, this data could guide solutions to keep bears safe and behaving like wild bears.

Protect LIONS, CHEETAHS and WILD DOGS from diseases – FULLY FUNDED ($23,600)
Through a long-time partnership with Ewaso Lions, this organization aims to protect lions and other large carnivores by vaccinating pet dogs in northern Kenya. This funding will support a pet vaccination program by providing local communities with trained personnel, vehicles, veterinary equipment, and materials to make collars that will identify vaccinated dogs. These vaccines can prevent life-threatening diseases like rabies and distemper from being spread from pet dogs to wild carnivores.
Support more agroforestry to protect OKAPI habitat – PARTIALLY FUNDED ($13,225)
In a continued partnership with the Okapi Conservation Project (OCP), this grant will provide farmers with tools, seeds, natural fertilizers and education in sustainable agriculture practices. Funds will also support reforestation in the region. Found in the Democratic Republic of Congo, okapi are threatened by slash-and-burn agriculture and poaching. This program empowers local communities to produce food sustainably, safeguard water resources, and generate income, while reducing their economic dependence on mining and poaching, thus protecting okapi in the long run. Over the last year, OCP has distributed over 65,000 kg of seedlings and over 62,000 kg of food seeds to more than 900 farmers in the region. Even more exciting, they have been visited by a wild okapi, which is extremely rare.
Continue the banding, monitoring, and protection of CROWNED CRANES – PARTIALLY FUNDED ($3,675)
This grant will fund the banding of 100 East African crowned crane chicks and support data collection to guide future conservation efforts for this species. This project will also establish a Crane Custodian Program, training local community members to advocate for and assist with crane data collection – a crucial component of crane conservation, especially during COVID-related travel restrictions. Found in Kenya, the East African crowned crane has seen a dramatic decrease in population over the last four years. In a continued partnership, the International Crane Foundation and the Leiden Conservation Foundation are collaborating to learn more about this species in order to stabilize its population.

“We’re excited to continue supporting our members’ wishes to fund frontline conservation projects with membership revenue through this annual conservation vote,” said Emma Repp-Maxwell, CMZoo membership manager. “It was interesting to see that the two brand-new projects, orangutans and black bears, placed first and second. We’ll provide updates as these projects launch or continue, depending on the project, throughout the year, so stay tuned!”

For more information about how to become a CMZoo member, and the many benefits that memberships provide, visit cmzoo.org/membership.

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$25,000 to the Quarters for Conservation program, which in total contributes half a million dollars on average annually to CMZoo’s legacy conservation partners.
$75,000 to projects voted for by CMZoo members through this annual vote.

“Over the years, members have funded projects that support organizations working to protect vulnerable species in places like Ecuador, Kenya, South Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia right in our backyard,” said Dr. Liza Dadone, vice president of mission and programs at CMZoo. “These grants make a huge impact for the small-but-mighty projects that are making a difference for wildlife, wild places, and the people who border their habitats. We wouldn’t be able to support them without our members.”

Through Sunday, March 28, 2021, members will cast their votes to help the Zoo decide how to spend $75,000 of member conservation funds among five conservation projects vying for support. The three projects with the most votes will receive the full funding they requested. The number of votes received for the remaining three projects will help CMZoo decide how to distribute the remaining funds.

The five conservation projects up for our members’ consideration are:

Protect LIONS, CHEETAHS and WILD DOGS from diseases
Through a long-time partnership with Ewaso Lions, this organization aims to protect lions and other large carnivores by vaccinating pet dogs in northern Kenya. This funding will support a pet vaccination program by providing local communities with trained personnel, vehicles, veterinary equipment, and materials to make collars that will identify vaccinated dogs. These vaccines can prevent life-threatening diseases like rabies and distemper from being spread from pet dogs to wild carnivores.

Continue the banding, monitoring, and protection of CROWNED CRANES
This grant will fund the banding of 100 East African crowned crane chicks and support data collection to guide future conservation efforts for this species. This project will also establish a Crane Custodian Program, training local community members to advocate for and assist with crane data collection – a crucial component of crane conservation, especially during COVID-related travel restrictions. Found in Kenya, the East African crowned crane has seen a dramatic decrease in population over the last four years. In a continued partnership, the International Crane Foundation and the Leiden Conservation Foundation are collaborating to learn more about this species in order to stabilize its population.

Support more agroforestry to protect OKAPI habitat
In a continued partnership with the Okapi Conservation Project (OCP), this grant will provide farmers with tools, seeds, natural fertilizers and education in sustainable agriculture practices. Funds will also support reforestation in the region. Found in the Democratic Republic of Congo, okapi are threatened by slash-and-burn agriculture and poaching. This program empowers local communities to produce food sustainably, safeguard water resources, and generate income, while reducing their economic dependence on mining and poaching, thus protecting okapi in the long run. Over the last year, OCP has distributed over 65,000 kg of seedlings and over 62,000 kg of food seeds to more than 900 farmers in the region. Even more exciting, they have been visited by a wild okapi, which is extremely rare.

Reforest a wildlife corridor and help save ORANGUTANS in Borneo
In support of two established organizations working to save species in Southeast Asia, this grant will help the HUTAN organization provide tools and funds to local women reforesting the Genting Wildlife Corridor. It will also help the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF) repair orangutan rehabilitation islands damaged by a devastating flood. The HUTAN corridor is an important animal “wildway” that will connect virgin rainforest with a wildlife sanctuary and is needed by hundreds of species in the area, like orangutans and Asian forest elephants. The BOSF grant provides emergency funds to reopen islands used for orangutan housing and forest school prior to release.

Track AMERICAN BLACK BEAR movements in Colorado
In a new partnership with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, this grant would fund placing GPS collars on black bear juveniles to collect information about their movements and habitat use after rehabilitation and reintroduction. This valuable data will support ongoing efforts to reduce human-bear wildlife conflicts in the Pikes Peak Region. One of the main drivers of human-bear conflicts is unsecured trash, which serves as a strong attractant for bears. Unfortunately, female bears with cubs can be drawn to unsecured trash and human-wildlife conflicts can then lead to orphaned bear juveniles. Colorado Parks and Wildlife rescues and rehabilitates these young bears, and releases them once they are old enough to live successfully in the wild. As human developments sprawl into historical bear habitat, this data could guide solutions to keep bears safe and behaving like wild bears.

“Our members are passionate about conservation and have formed connections over the years with familiar projects, like the Okapi Conservation Project’s agroforestry program, and Ewaso Lions’ ongoing lion conservation,” said Emma Repp-Maxwell, CMZoo membership manager. “It’s also inspiring to get behind fledgling projects, like the banding of crowned cranes, which we launched last year and will continue to support in some capacity this year. Two brand-new projects – black bear tracking in Colorado and supporting a wildlife corridor in Borneo – are new projects to consider this year. It’s up to our members to help us decide which projects receive full funding.”

We’ll announce the 2021 rankings next month, so stay tuned.

Last year, members voted to fund projects from the Australia bush fires to continued conservation efforts in Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo. To learn about the progress made because of the 2020 Member Conservation Vote, read on.

Zoos Victoria: Emergency Funding ($20,000)
Before launching the member vote last year, we asked members to approve emergency funding in response to the devastating Australia bush fires. Members’ early votes helped support the long-term care of animals impacted by this disaster.
Learn more: https://www.cmzoo.org/news/archive/cheyenne-mountain-zoo-members-donate-20000-to-australia-bushfire-recovery/

African Lions: Fully Funded ($5,600)
Member votes supported the planning for wildlife corridors in northern Kenya. As more highways, railways, cities and pipelines are built in the heart of lion country, this project supported the partnerships and infrastructure needed to keep wildlife safe.

Crowned Cranes: Fully Funded ($11,000)
Member votes helped launched the first efforts to band and monitor wild crowned crane chicks in East Africa. Despite COVID-19, around 20 crane chicks were banded. With such limited information on the behaviors of cranes, this project will help gather important information for future conservation efforts.
Learn more: https://www.cmzoo.org/news/archive/cmzoo-member-supported-east-african-crowned-crane-conservation-project-makes-progress/

Mountain Tapir: Partially Funded ($20,000)
Member votes supported the continued GPS collaring and monitoring of 5 additional tapirs in Ecuador. This project has already seen the radio collaring and successful monitoring of 10 wild mountain tapirs. The information collected helps conservation efforts.
Learn more: https://www.cmzoo.org/news/archive/cmzoo-tapir-expedition-team-returns-from-ecuador/

Okapi: Fully Funded ($11,000)
Member votes helped the Okapi Conservation Project continue an already successful agroforestry project, aimed at encouraging sustainable farming practices, habitat protection and reforestation. By teaching local communities better practices, they are able to protect their livelihoods and wild okapi nearby.
Learn more: https://www.cmzoo.org/news/archive/work-to-protect-wild-okapi-continues-thanks-to-cmzoo-members/

For more information about how to become a CMZoo member, and the many benefits that memberships provides, visit cmzoo.org/membership.

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An important conservation effort to save crowned cranes in East Africa is making progress, thanks to the support of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo members. The East African crowned crane has seen a dramatic decrease in population, losing 4,500 individuals over the last four years. If the decline continues at this pace, East African crowned cranes could be extinct in the next decade. The International Crane Foundation (ICF), Endangered Wildlife Trust and Leiden Conservation Foundation, with the support of CMZoo, are collaborating to learn more about this species.

Earlier this year, CMZoo members voted to send $11,000 to fund the banding of young cranes. The project is championed at the Zoo by Philip Waugh, lead keeper in Water’s Edge: Africa and longtime keeper in African Rift Valley, where he worked closely with CMZoo’s two East African crowned cranes, Inzi and Tagi.

Waugh went to ICF in Wisconsin to research this project and to learn how we could best support cranes. He was so inspired by their work that he built a proposal and submitted it for the 2020 Member Conservation Vote.

“They’ve been wanting to start this fieldwork for more than a decade, so when they learned our members could potentially support it, they were excited and so were we,” said Waugh. “It’s inspiring to see how they have prioritized this project. It goes to show that just by being a member at CMZoo, you can make big impacts for conservation around the world. Our members have allowed an organization with a presence on multiple continents to focus a lot of energy on this one project.”

East African crowned cranes, sometimes called grey crowned cranes, are found in many countries in Africa. In each native country, there can be varying causes for their decline, including unhealthy waterways, injuries from power lines, habitat loss from agricultural expansion, harvesting of chicks and eggs, and more.

One obstacle in the way of helping cranes is how little is known about the species. Through this banding project, we will learn a lot about which waterways the cranes depend on, how many offspring each crane typically contributes to a population, which trees they prefer to roost in, what types of diet and nesting material they require and their migration patterns.

“We don’t know if it’s a diminishing resource issue, human conflict, pollution, or a combination of those,” said Waugh. “This study will help us discover how we can help them before it’s too late.”

During field work, conservationists place colored bands on the chicks’ legs while they’re still in the nest. The color-coded bands allow monitors to identify the chicks’ individual identities, their country of origin and where they were banded. Since beginning field work in June 2020, ICF and Endangered Wildlife Trust have banded 48 chicks. The team is also monitoring 16 nests, most of which have incubating eggs.

In their recent report, ICF, in partnership with Endangered Wildlife Trust, said they have been encouraged by local community support of the banding project. Community members have been helping conservationists by reporting sightings of the birds. They attribute this positive community response to increased community engagement.

“Through the generous support of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, we have, for the first time in our more than twenty-year project, been able to color-band grey crowned cranes in East Africa, the species’ stronghold,” said Dr. Joseph Mwangi, Kenya country coordinator of the African Crane Conservation Program. “This is a critical step to better understanding movement and dispersal of grey crowned cranes for effective conservation of the species and its habitat.”

Since 2015, the Member Conservation Vote has provided $450,000 of the Zoo’s membership revenue to support field conservation worldwide. Each year, a total of $100,000 of membership revenue is contributed to conservation in two ways:

$25,000 to the Quarters for Conservation program, which contributes $500,000 annually to CMZoo’s legacy conservation partners.
$75,000 to projects voted for by CMZoo members through the annual vote.

We will keep you updated as this exciting project continues.

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Every membership and every visit to the Zoo is conservation in action. Although Cheyenne Mountain Zoo members can’t visit right now, they’re actively participating in important efforts to help wild animals.

Since 2015, including this year’s contributions, the Member Conservation Vote has provided $450,000 of membership revenue to support field conservation worldwide. Each year, a total of $100,000 of membership revenue is contributed to conservation in two ways:

$25,000 to the Quarters for Conservation program, which in total contributes half a million dollars annually to CMZoo’s legacy conservation partners.
$75,000 to projects voted for by CMZoo members through this annual vote.

“Over the years, members have funded projects that support organizations working to save species on the brink of extinction in places like Ecuador, Kenya, South Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia and more,” said Dr. Liza Dadone, vice president of mission and programs at CMZoo. “These grants make a huge impact for the small-but-mighty organizations that are defending animals on the frontlines. Although the Zoo is temporarily closed until further notice, in an effort to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, this is one of the ways our conservation efforts are continuing, even during the closure.”

From the safety of their homes, members participated in the 2020 Member Conservation Vote through a private link distributed to members via email. The two projects with the most votes will receive the full funding they requested. The number of votes received for the remaining four projects will help CMZoo decide how to distribute the remaining funds.

In addition to being able to support smaller conservation projects around the world, the Member Conservation Vote also allows the Zoo to support immediate needs that might not fit into our annual Quarters for Conservation funding parameters. One such project is the Zoos Victoria Bushfire Emergency Wildlife Fund in Australia.

In February 2020, CMZoo members approved sending $20,000 to Zoos Victoria, in response to the devastating fires in Australia. The funds support long-term care for bushfire-impacted animals, including supplementary feeding and habitat restoration, in conjunction with the Australia Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Parks Victoria, and associated recovery teams. Donations from Zoo employees, board members, docents and an internal Zoo donation matching program raised $6,900 in support of Zoos Victoria, making the collective donation $26,900.

The $20,000 donation came from the $75,000 allotted for membership conservation, leaving $55,000 for distribution among the projects nominated for the Member Conservation Vote.

This year, six projects were nominated in addition to the already approved Zoos Victoria support. Some projects, like building a wildlife corridor for lions, were brand-new. Others, like tracking mountain tapir, have received funding through this vote consistently for years.

“Considering everything going on in the world right now, it was especially important to us this year to engage our members in this vote and to remind them that they make a difference,” said Emma Repp-Maxwell, CMZoo membership manager. “We have been missing our members for more than a month, but we want them to know we’re grateful for their ongoing support, and that they’re still making a positive impact for wild animals through their memberships and through their participation in this vote.”

Drumroll, please. In order of member votes received, the 2020 projects receiving funding are:

Support a wildlife corridor for African lion – $5,600 fully funded

This funding will help map developing pipelines and highways and plan animal corridors before construction begins. It will also support data analysis and stakeholder meetings to get the right organizations involved in animal protection at the right time. Longtime conservation partner, Ewaso Lions, is hoping to protect lions by establishing wildlife corridors in northern Kenya. As more highways, railways, cities and pipelines are built in the heart of lion country, they hope to create the partnerships and infrastructure necessary to protect the many species that share and roam these lands as human influence expands.

Start an agroforestry project to protect Okapi habitat – $11,000 fully funded

In a continued partnership with the Okapi Conservation Project, this grant will provide farmers with tools, seeds, natural fertilizers, and education in sustainable agriculture practices. In addition, funds would support reforestation in the region. Found in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the okapi is a mysterious member of the giraffe family that is threatened by poaching and slash-and-burn agriculture. This will empower local communities to produce food sustainably, safeguard water resources, and generate income while reducing economic dependence on mining and poaching, thus protecting okapi in the long run.

Observe tree kangaroos in their natural habitat – $7,500 fully funded

This grant will support the purchase of GPS tracking collars, camera traps and data loggers to better understand tree kangaroo behaviors, movements and habitat use. The Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program fosters wildlife and habitat conservation while supporting the livelihood of local communities in Papua New Guinea. Matschie’s tree kangaroos live high in the dense canopy of the cloud forests, hidden among thick moss that makes them very difficult to observe. The data collected through this observation project will be used to inform future habitat planning for tree kangaroo conservation.

Fund the banding and monitoring of East African crowned cranes – $11,000 fully funded

This grant will contribute to funding the first banding of 75 East African crowned crane chicks and support data collection about their behaviors and migration patterns to help inform future conservation efforts for this species. Found in Kenya, the East African crowned crane has seen a dramatic decrease in population over the last four years. The International Crane Foundation, Endangered Wildlife Trust and Leiden Conservation Foundation are collaborating to learn more about this species in order to stabilize its population.

Help track wild mountain tapir in Ecuador – $20,000 funded (partial funding awarded)

A continuation of past monitoring projects, these funds will support the GPS collaring of additional tapir in the wild and educational outreach for local schools. Found in Colombia, Ecuador, and the far north of Peru, only an estimated 2,500 mountain tapir remain in the wild. CMZoo is one of two zoos in North America that this species calls home. This project, based in Ecuador, has already yielded important data regarding the movement, behaviors and territory of this critically endangered species, which we hope will be used to protect its habitats.

For more information on CMZoo memberships, visit www.cmzoo.org/membership.

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Foster any animal and you’ll help Cheyenne Mountain Zoo continue to provide outstanding care. Whether given as a gift or used to celebrate a favorite species, symbolic adoptions come with a variety of benefits only adoptive parents can enjoy.

Ways to adopt your favorites:

Digital Adoption – ($35) choose any Zoo animal from the full list provided below.
Group Adoption – ($35+) pick a herd, chatter or family for your classroom or group, offered for certain featured animals below.
Traditional Adoption – ($50+) choose any Zoo animal from the full list provided below.
Wild Adopt Gift Packages – ($65) includes a cuddly plush, offered for many featured animals below.
Gift any Adoption – ($35+) gifting any adoption is offered during check-out.