Survey Finds Endangered Japanese Cranes Thriving

The number of Japanese cranes in Hokkaido has topped 1,000, according to a survey conducted on their habitats in late January 2005, the Tancho Protection Unit, a local group to protect Japanese cranes or "Tancho" in Akan-cho, Hokkaido announced on May 9.

The Japanese cranes, also known as red-crested white cranes, were feared to have become extinct in the 1920s but have been gradually increasing in number since the success of winter-feeding in the 1950s. The habitat survey in January recorded 123 young cranes, the largest number ever. The proportion of young cranes in their groups marked as high as 12.4 percent in average for the past five years, while the average annual growth rate in the total number was 6.1 percent. The increase is expected to continue unless a major change occurs in the environment of the cranes' habitats.

Meanwhile wetlands, the nurseries for the cranes, still continue to be lost, signaling the deteriorating environment surrounding the Japanese cranes. The decline of wetlands and the rise of individual numbers accelerate the density of breeding pairs within their groups. Also feeding by humans, which started from an urgent need to save them from extinction, has so tamed the wild cranes that they now build their group nests near human settlements. As a result, they face new types of threats, such as a higher probability of crashing into artificial objects or buildings, and a higher risk of being exposed to toxic chemical substances.

The association stresses that future conservation measures for the Japanese cranes will require expert knowledge and insight from a greater variety of fields, including social sciences, besides the routine surveys in natural sciences. Successful protection will depend on more cooperation, wider understanding, and more involvement from local citizens, the association said.



Posted: 2005/09/10 09:52:22 AM
Japanese version