On Monday, August 18, 2014, a rare Sarus Crane chick hatched at the International Crane Foundation (ICF). The proud parents are Majnu, a 51 year-old male who was captured as a young crane in India about 10 years before ICF was founded, and Chandini, a female hatched in 2002. As a wild hatched crane, Majnu is considered a founder. This is an extremely desirable designation in captive crane populations – in all captive animal populations, actually – as genes from these animals are mostly underrepresented in the captive population. To learn about Species Survival Plans (SSPs) and how zoos and aquaria use genetic management to support wild populations, visit the AZA website.
Chandini watches over Curry the chick just 1 day after hatching.
Curry at 5 days old is getting around his exhibit quite well.
All photos by Ted Thousand. ©2014 All Rights Reserved.
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