The Grey Crowned Crane is the face of Uganda. The bird appears on the African country’s flag and Coat of Arms, and is cherished for its beauty, graceful gait and serenity. But this national treasure could be taking its final bow in Uganda as it dances dangerously close to extinction.
The Crowned Crane is in desperate need of stronger conservation efforts in Uganda. William Olupot from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) explains that the cranes can only be found in 21 districts in Uganda compared to 35 districts a decade ago, reports New Vision.
But the bad news for the Grey Crowned Crane doesn’t end there. Sadly, only 13 districts had nests (in seasonal wetlands) within these 21 districts. The cranes are creatures of habit and habitat. They’re famous for their serial monogamy and for returning to the same breeding spot year after year. Like the white-naped crane in Mongolia, the Grey Crowned Crane’s wetland habitat in Uganda is being destroyed and degraded as it’s converted for crops, exposed to pesticides and ravaged by bushfires.
The IUCN Red List adds that humans have a love-hate relationship with the Grey Crowned Crane. On the one hand, the bird is a victim of live-trapping and egg collecting for the (domestic and international) captive industry. The bird’s striking features make it highly sought after by pet owners, captive facilities and zoos. In 2014, Telegraph reported a tragic story out of Rwanda explaining that locals prefer the cranes over dogs as pets because “during the genocide dogs feasted on the corpses that littered the streets in great numbers — a spectacle so painful, not to say potentially hazardous to health, that the people killed all the dogs.” It’s possible that these cultural attitudes from Rwanda were carried over to Uganda.
On the other hand, the cranes are also actively hunted and persecuted. According to Bird Life International, there’s been at least one incident, from Zambia, where 43 birds were poisoned in 2015; the maize grains in their stomachs suggest that the birds do leave protected areas and raid maize fields to feed. It’s easy to see why a farmer seeking revenge would hurt them. Since the cranes don’t breed in captivity, the population hasn’t been able to rebound.
Is there still hope for the Grey Crowned Crane? Yes!
Jimmy Muhereza, Nature Uganda’s crane and wetland project coordinator, says more funding is needed to study Grey Crowned Cranes, particularly how to increase the endangered bird’s population.
