Sandhill cranes don't fly first class or coach. But with a little help from Delta Air Lines, two sandhill cranes flew in a plane's cargo area on Tuesday morning, making the trip from Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary in Green Bay to the Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, Conn.
The orphaned pair, a 4-year-old female and 3-year-old male, arrived at the sanctuary about two years ago after someone raised them. That made it unlikely the pair would survive if released into the wild, so the sanctuary found them a new home at Connecticut's only zoo, curator Mike Reed said.
"This will be a great education tool for the zoo to learn about this bird that once roamed across the eastern United States," he said.
Sandhill cranes were hunted to near extinction in the late 1800s and early 1900s, but now have a stable population. They can live more than 20 years in captivity, Reed said.
Beardsley Zoo doesn't have any sandhill cranes. Its staff was excited about the opportunity to house them, he said.
Sandhill cranes have gray feathers, a large beak and a reddish crown. They are known for their unison calls, Reed said.
"It really does evoke the feelings of wilderness."
The cranes, from Wood and Waushara counties in central Wisconsin, lived near the sanctuary's Observation Building, but didn't fit in with the other cranes.
"They just acted too much like people," Reed said.
If the person who raised them would have instead taken them to to a licensed rehabilitator or facility when the animals were found, "they'd be flying wild, instead of flying to a zoo," Reed said.
The sanctuary regularly ships animals to zoos. Beardsley Zoo might return the favor one day, Reed said.
The sanctuary, 1600 East Shore Drive, rehabilitates about 4,000 animals a year, including up to a dozen sandhill cranes. At the moment, three sandhill cranes are on display at the sanctuary.
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20100922/GPG0101/9220715/Sanctuary-s-sandhill-cranes-flown-to-zoo
