Crane Life
The "Crane Life" project is focused on the protection and research of cranes, currently mainly the common crane (Grus grus). Its detailed monitoring is intended to support the protection of this species, but also to serve as a methodological basis for research on other endangered species in the area of their occurrence. This project was created after many years of professional work with cranes, monitoring their nesting sites, migration routes, and wintering grounds, when marking with coloured rings was supplemented by GPS-GSM transmitters. The project also includes educational activities devoted not only to cranes but also to the protection of birds and the environment.
Threats to cranes
There are currently 15 species of cranes living in the world, of which 11 species are classified as endangered. The most endangered are the three white-coloured species, which are most tied to wetland habitats, both during the breeding and non-breeding seasons. They are the Siberian crane and the red-crowned crane living in East Asia and the whooping crane found in North America. It is the degradation of natural biotopes, especially wetlands, that is the main cause of their threat. Another cause, as with other large birds, is collisions with power lines, which occur on all continents. Above all, African species are also threatened by the illegal trade in animals. In addition, there are still cases of death of a large number of birds as a result of poisoning and hunting, mainly by poachers.
In particular, in the past, common cranes were exterminated in the western, southern, and central parts of Europe due to human influence. Only after they were properly protected did the cranes begin to return to their original range. Currently, their European population is on the rise. Since the end of the 80s of the last century, cranes have again started nesting regularly in the Czech Republic, where, although their nesting sites are increasing, they are still a critically endangered species.
Activities of the Crane Life project
The "Crane Life" project is currently focused on monitoring the Czech population of common cranes (Grus grus), not only at nesting sites in the Czech Republic but also at gathering sites in Germany and Poland and at migration stops and wintering grounds in Hungary, France, and Spain. It follows the movements of marked cranes during the nesting and non-nesting periods. The project records changes in migratory behaviour when more and more cranes remain in the nesting area or in gathering places due to mild winters, which can be proven not only by increasing numbers of wintering birds but above all by tracking specific individuals with a clear origin.
The biggest contribution to the project is the use of GPS-GSM transmitters, which currently monitor the movement of nine cranes from Bohemia, Silesia, and North Moravia. These cranes reveal much more about their hidden way of life - occurrences in new locations or sudden movements over long distances in the second year of life.
More information on the website www.jerabizivot.cz.
How Ostrava Zoo helps
Ostrava Zoo is an important partner of this project. The zoo employs its coordinator Markéta Ticháčková as its field zoologist and at the same time finances the purchase of GPS-GSM transmitters. Between 2017 and 2023, Ostrava Zoo purchased 12 of these transmitters. From 2022, the Ostrava Zoo, together with all its visitors, supports the project through the "3 CZK for Wildlife" program.
