January 23, 2003 Whooping Crane Patriarch Dies at 39 mn

January 23, 2003

Whooping Crane Patriarch Dies at 39

Canus, a one-winged whooping crane that played a crucial role in establishing a captive breeding population of his endangered species, died last weekend of natural causes, just a few weeks short of his 39th birthday. Scientists believe that the average lifespan of a whooping crane lasts from 25 to 30 ears, although captive birds can live much longer. Canus was part of the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) captive breeding program at the Wildlife Research Center in Patuxent.

"Canus the individual may be gone, but his legacy will persist in the every growing populations of wild whooping cranes in North America," said USGS Patuxent Center director Judd Howell. "He was a great symbol for restoration of wildlife populations, and he will be missed." Canus, named as a symbol of cooperation between Canada and the United States, sired a large proportion of the whooping cranes in captivity and is the progenitor of many that have been released into the wild. The first whooping crane to fledge in the U.S. in 60 years was a descendent of Canus. "Although Canus' role as a sire helped in bringing the whooping crane back from the brink of extinction, teaching us how to keep his species alive and how to breed them was really his most significant contribution," said Kathleen O'Malley of the USGS's captive breeding program. "When Canus because a resident at Patuxent, we had to learn what to feed whooping cranes, how to get them to breed, and how to keep their eggs alive. The staff is really shaken up over Canus' death."

When Canus was rescued form the wild with a fractured wing in 1964, there were just 42 whooping cranes left in the world. The number had dipped as low as 17 before rebounding due to the protection of critical habitat in both the U.S. and Canada, and the joint efforts of both countries to save the birds, including captive breeding efforts. After some time in Colorado, Canus was shipped to Maryland in 1966 to become the first whooping crane in the endangered species recovery program at Patuxent, which was then part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Today, the whooping crane population has increased to about 420 birds. For more information on whooping cranes and Captive Breeding Program at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, visis: http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov, or visit the USGS whooping crane report at: http://whoopers.usgs.gov public recreation is suitable for the lands.