Captured as young and kept as status symbol pets in the gardens of hotels and homes, the birds were almost wiped out. The destruction of their habitat for agriculture increased the pressure and, in 2012, only about 300 remained in the wild.
Crowned cranes dance together as part of their mating ritual and often mate for the rest of their lives.
But the species has undergone a remarkable recovery in Rwanda thanks to local veterinarian and conservationist Olivier Nsengimana. Living in the capital of Rwanda, Kigali, Nsengimana found it strange to hear cranes calling from people’s gardens, while wild habitats were almost devoid of birds. “I told myself that someone needed to do something about it,” he says. “Someone needs to make a change.”
Gray crowned cranes are still at risk in other parts of Africa. Nsengimana says there is no “copy and paste” solution for all countries, but we can learn lessons from Rwanda’s success.
An amnesty
The majestic cranes are seen as “a symbol of wealth and longevity” in Rwanda, says Nsengimana. “People love them very much, but (a) lack of awareness is like too much love … created a threat.” Taking cranes out of nature is illegal in Rwanda, but many pet owners were unaware that they were breaking the law.
In 2014, Nsengimana worked with the Rwandan government to launch an amnesty program encouraging homeowners to hand over their pets, without fear of prosecution. He broadcast his message on a national radio, asking pet owners to call him on his personal phone number. “I said, I know you love them too, we all love them, but if we keep them in our gardens … we will lose them.”
Crane owners across the country responded.
Since 2014, 242 gray crowned cranes have been successfully rescued from captivity, says Nsengimana.
Last year, a census identified 881 gray crowned cranes in Rwanda, says Nsengimana. He is “quite confident” that no more cranes will remain in captivity in the country.
“This is a really great success story that we share with all Rwandans,” he says. “If we work together, if we can bring everyone on board, we can achieve the unattainable.”
The future of Rwanda’s gray crown cranes looks much safer, but can Nsengimana’s success be replicated in other parts of Africa?
International trade in cranes
It is illegal to capture and market gray crowned cranes for most of their range, according to Kerryn Morrison, director for Africa at the International Crane Foundation and senior manager for Africa at the Endangered Wildlife Trust.
But legal protection did not save the birds.
Across Africa, gray crowned crane populations are estimated to have dropped by up to 80% in the past 25 years, with only about 25,000 to 30,000 birds remaining, according to Morrison.
Gray crowned cranes are kept as pets across the continent, says Morrison. Law enforcement is often weak due to a lack of resources and a greater focus on protecting larger animals such as elephants and rhinos, she says.
Morrison says that demand from the UAE has declined in recent years, but the country appears to remain a channel for cranes, supplying them to the Middle East and Asia.
Unfortunately, Morrison says the Rwandan amnesty model is unlikely to work in other African countries. “You just don’t see the same adherence to government policies that you see in Rwanda,” she says. However, raising awareness among local communities in Uganda and Kenya and training them to monitor cranes has led to some success in reducing poaching.
Nsengimana says that although the cranes are not migratory, they cross borders and a “huge” joint effort will be needed to remove them from the list of endangered species.
“When I was a kid, I saw cranes really coexisting with people and … I would love to see that kind of balance coming back,” says Nsengimana. “We want people to see cranes as part of them, as their friends, as part of their lives.”