I'm concerned about our future breeding and release program. We have 50 whooping cranes here and 15 to 18 pairs are breeding this season. The snow was very disruptive to the breeding program. |
I've been here 21 years and I've never seen damage like this ever. This is upsetting to the staff because most have been here for 10 years or longer and we know the birds individually and are upset to see them have to go through this. |
If that bird can fly, they won't be able to catch it. They need to leave it alone because if they catch it, it will die from stress and they will end up killing it. If they keep chasing it, it may end up getting hit by a car. |
In the wild, if a predator takes their eggs, they will lay two more within 10 days, so here, we're the predator. |
To successfully breed, the male has to be aloft to copulate. |
We couldn't keep up - nature was against us that night. We'd lost our power at 6 p.m., so we were working in the dark all night. We were out there until 4 a.m. and, at that time, 105 of the 110 pens' netting had collapsed. |
We're on a time crunch because they usually start laying their eggs in March, and if they're not in their familiar pens, they won't attempt to mate in a strange place. |