Zoo Review: International Crane Foundation, Part II

Continuing the tour of the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin.

Compared to the beautiful exhibits of cranes mentioned yesterday, the habitats for the occupants of the Johnson Exhibit Pod are a little on the dull side.  By that I mean that they are simply crane habitats roughly on par (maybe a bit fancier) than those you would see at a conventional zoo, rather than the stunning wetland vistas for the Siberian and whooping cranes.  This hexagonal building (to which visitors do not have access) has radiating yards for six of the world's cranes - the sarus crane, hooded crane, Eurasian (or common) crane, blue (or Stanley's) crane, white-naped crane, and red-crowned crane.    The habitats for the red-crowned and blue cranes feature walk-in viewing areas providing unobstructed views of the birds; the other four species are seen through wire fencing.   I was particularly interested in seeing the Eurasian crane which, despite its alternate name of common crane, is found in no other US collections (European wildlife in general is poorly represented in American zoos).

The public exhibit galleries occupy only a small portion of the land on the ICF campus.  Much of the rest of the land is used to address one of the major threats to cranes in the wild - habitat loss.  An overlook by the Johnson Exhibit Pod provides a view of over 100-acres of restored wetlands; it's also possible from here to get a view of "Crane City," the breeding compound where the majority of ICF's work takes place.  Visitors can't go to Crane City, but they can take a side path that goes off to a series of meandering hiking trails through the wetlands.  At certain times of year it may be possible to observe wild sandhill cranes nesting in the marshes.

The remainder of the world's cranes are seen in Spirit of Africa. The dominant feature here is a large wetland yard, similar to those of the whooping and Siberian cranes, that is  occupied by a pair of wattled cranes, largest of the African cranes.  Additional habitats feature the demoiselle crane, black crowned crane, and gray crowned crane.  The fifth African crane species, the blue crane, is in the Johnson Exhibit Pod, though it is next to and facing the other African cranes, helping to tie in into this exhibit area.

Assuming that you are don't take the hiking trails (which would be a mistake, in my opinion - I thought they were lovely), skip out on the documentary in entry theater, and overall just concern yourself with viewing birds, it doesn't take too long to go through ICF.  Rushing though would be a mistake, however.  The signage and storytelling is excellent, as is the conservation messaging.   I especially appreciate the opportunities to learn more about the cultural importance of cranes around the world.  Spend some time of rest in the Zen garden, admire the origami crane exhibit, and give the prayer wheels (handmade in Nepal) a spin.   Though it is small, the excellent exhibits and important conservation contributions make the International Crane Foundation one of the most unique and interesting zoological attractions in the country.