SANDHILL CRANE’S FATE SHOWS WHY YOUNG ANIMALS MUST BE LEFT ALONE
A Greater Sandhill Crane that captured national media attention after it had been raised on a ranch near Nucla will be held by the Colorado Division of Wildlife at its Frisco Creek wildlife rehabilitation center near Del Norte. The DOW anticipates that the crane will eventually be delivered to a zoo.
The story of the crane, however, doesn’t end there. It must serve as a reminder that humans should not touch young animals, even if a critter appears to be alone or in trouble.
“Adult animals often leave their young ones to go off to feed or to distract predators,” said Tony Gurzick, assistant regional manager for the DOW in Durango. “Young animals are well camouflaged and learn their own survival skills when left on their own. We know people are well-intentioned, but the animal’s best chance of surviving is if it’s left alone.”
Animals are being born throughout Colorado from now through mid-June. It is not unusual to see a variety of young animals, especially deer fawns and elk calves.
The sandhill crane was just a chick when it was found by a ranch hand three years ago. It is rare for sandhill cranes to nest in Colorado. Apparently, dogs had chased off other birds in a flock that had been in the same field. Believing the young bird had been abandoned and couldn’t survive on its own the rancher took the bird home, fed it cat food and treated it like a pet.
Birds imprint on humans quickly if they are exposed to them at a young age. Once a bird imprints, it can seldom be trained to survive in the wild – even with other birds.
When the ranch hand became ill with cancer, he asked some friends to care for the bird. In the spring they took it to an area where large flocks of sandhill cranes gather during their migration north for the summer. But when they released the bird it wanted no part of its free-roaming cousins.
The bird was taken to the Schneegas Wildlife Foundation near Silt, a wildlife rehabilitation center. The professional trainers there saw quickly that the bird couldn’t be retrained.
“The sandhill crane never learned to be wild,” Gurzick said.
The crane will be cared for at the DOW’s wildlife facility until a suitable home is found.
Unfortunately, many young wild animals meet a similar fate each spring in Colorado. Many young birds spend time on the ground before learning to fly. People pick up elk calves, provide food for deer fawns and even bring baby raccoons into their homes.
“Observe the animals from a distance, allow nature to take its course,” Gurzick said. “Animals that are picked up by humans most often die. They can’t be raised as pets. It’s not only dangerous to both people and the animal it is illegal to hold wildlife captive in Colorado.”
If you have a concern about wildlife, call your local Colorado Division of Wildlife office. But, please, leave the animal alone.
Facts about Sandhill Cranes:
- One of the largest birds in North America. Four feet tall with a wingspan of six feet, and usually weigh from 7 pounds to 11 pounds.
- Birds winter in southern New Mexico, Arizona and northern Mexico. They migrate to northern Idaho and Montana in the spring. The young hatch early in the summer.
- In Colorado, about 25,000 cranes stop for a about a month during February and March in the San Luis Valley to rest and feed in grain fields. Smaller flocks stop in western Colorado.
- In the wild sandhill cranes can live for 20 years.
- Mated pairs stay together during the year and both incubate eggs.
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The Colorado Division of Wildlife is the state agency responsible for managing wildlife and its habitat, as well as providing wildlife related recreation. The Division is funded through hunting and fishing license fees, federal grants and Colorado Lottery proceeds through Great Outdoors Colorado.
For more information about Division of Wildlife go to: http://wildlife.state.co.us.