Landmark achievement in Whooping Crane conservation inspires
efforts to save the Siberian Cranes 27 October 2006 | News story
The first successful nesting of wild whooping cranes in the
American Midwest since the 1890s marks an important milestone in
the long running conservation programme to save the world’s
rarest crane. Russian crane conservationists hope to emulate
this success by employing similar techniques to save the
threatened Siberian crane. Members of the IUCN SSC Crane
Specialist Group are closely involved in both projects. This
year, for the first time for over 100 years, wild whooping
cranes Grus americana successfully fledged two young in
Wisconsin, USA, marking their return to the Midwest as breeding
species since they were hunted to extinction in the region in
the 1890s. The last recorded nesting was in Iowa in 1894. Until
recently, whooping cranes were one of the world’s rarest birds.
In 1940, they were reduced to 15 individuals that were confined
to one breeding site in Wood Buffalo Nationa