Status of Eastern Migratory Population of Whooping Cranes

Since leaving my job with the International Crane Foundation, I've encountered many people in my travels who ask how the Whooping Cranes of the Eastern Migratory Population (all reintroduced cranes) are doing.  The fact is that the current status of this population is grim, and as much as I'd like to portray optimism and hope for the future of this flock, there are no scientific facts or research publically available that support this outlook.  The total number of cranes that make up the EMP now stands at 99 individuals.  These cranes have continual problems regarding nest failtures, and scientific and unbiased research from outside the project is needed to get to the bottom of these issues.  Simply adding more and more Whooping Cranes to this flock without understanding these nesting issues seems ethically questionable. From a biological and therefore unbiased stand point, I would strongly caution against releasing large or increased numbers of Whooping Cranes into the wild.  There is no need to take advantage of the weak status of the flock as an argument to increase its size, for questionable motives.  Now, more than ever, reasons for wanting to increase the number of cranes released should be investigated.  Currently, adult survival seems to be too low to sustain a flock, and it may be that there are a combination of poorly researched issues that contribute to this. 

In conclusion, I want more than anything for this flock to succeed, but these cranes are facing biological issues after release that are deeply affecting their survival and nest success.  Please encourage members of WCEP (the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership http://www.bringbackthecranes.org/) to continually re-evaluate the status of this flock. I can only hope that they realize that quality is better than quantity.  A vital aspect of conservation and reintroduction programs is knowing when to recognize failure.  Despite the oblivious optimism that is continually portrayed to the public, these biological and ethical issues exist and it is critical that they are addressed.