Blue cranes are being injured by powerline and fence collisions, creating an urgent need for the care and rehabilitation of the species.
To address this, a Blue Crane rehabilitation facility has been established in the Overberg region of the Western Cape.
The enclosure at a wildlife rehabilitation facility at the Kogelberg Biosphere Wildlife Rescue and Training Centre was constructed by Haygrove South Africa in collaboration with the Kogelberg Biosphere NPC, and funded through the International Crane Foundation/Endangered Wildlife Trust and Leiden Conservation Foundation.
The first of its kind in the Western Cape, it serves a region where the need for services to deal with cranes living in agricultural habitats and often injured in collisions with fences and powerlines, is great.
The 4,000 m2 enclosure houses injured Blue Cranes during their rehabilitation. It is large enough to enable them to stretch and exercise their flight muscles, allowing for better outcomes on release. Rehabilitation will reduce the number of mortalities and result in improved survival of the species, which is in decline.
Blue Cranes are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Species. Blue Crane densities in the Overberg are 4-5 times higher than in the rest of the country.
