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The crane colts were rescued by the Chicago Bird Collusion Monitors and rehabilitated at the DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center.<\/p>\n
Provided\/DuPage Forest Preserve District<\/p>\n
The two young colts were first spotted by the Chicago Bird Collision Monitors along a forest preserve trail in DuPage County, but because of their parent\u2019s injury, they kept getting separated. They were brought into the wildlife center, which is run by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, on May 10. The parent, though was too difficult to catch.<\/p>\n
On May 17, the team rescued another adult Sandhill crane with a fractured distal leg and a dislocated toe. That bird had to have its toe amputed.<\/p>\n
At first, staff wondered if this was indeed the chicks\u2019 parent. But the injuries didn\u2019t match, so they decided to try introduce the birds in a controlled matter, knowing there were risks since sandhill cranes can be territorial.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had to either see how they would do with each other even though unrelated, or again, look into transfer of the colts\u201d to another facility, the Facebook post stated. “… For around one week, the adult was restricted to the kennel while the babies had the rest of the room, so they could see and smell each other. After that week of being in the same space, the door was opened and everyone was introduced. And wouldn\u2019t you know it, it was an immediate blended family.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The crane colts were in good condition when their parent became too injured to keep them safe in the wild.<\/p>\n Provided\/DuPage Forest Preserve District<\/p>\n Said Touzalin: \u201cWe were happily surprised to notice that the adult crane … was very interested in them, and was being gentle, was helping them and offering foods to the babies.\u201d<\/p>\n Finding a surrogate parent for the chicks was key to their upbringing and long-term survival. <\/p>\n \u201cAs babies, it\u2019s really important for them to have adults as role models to kind of model the correct sandhill crane behaviors,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The birds were cared for together as a family until they were released into the wild in July. <\/p>\n Usually, there aren\u2019t many updates once birds are released. <\/p>\n But last week, Lisa Larsen, who lives in DuPage County, spotted the cranes while out on a trail in the forest preserves. She said the birds were very gentle and walked towards her when she noticed the tags on them. <\/p>\n \u201cI was very happy to have a close encounter with the birds. It\u2019s a reminder that we are sharing the space\u201d with other living creatures, she told the Sun-Times. <\/p>\n According to Touzalin there has been an increase in Sandhill Cranes breeding in Illinois in the last decade as they migrate back north for spring breeding season. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The adult sandhill crane is seen here with the young colts, after it had a toe on its foot amputated due to a large amount of necrotic tissue. <\/p>\n Provided\/DuPage Forest Preserve District<\/p>\n Sandhill cranes, which were previously hunted before the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, have returned to the Midwest in large numbers. There were only two dozen breeding pairs in Wisconsin in 1930s. Today the Midwest population is estimated at more than 90,000. <\/p>\n The cranes typically begin to migrate from October through December to warmer southern states like Texas and Florida. Along their southward journey, the birds are often spotted in DuPage and northern Indiana, particularly at Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area<\/a>, a migration site southeast of Valparaiso, Indiana.<\/p>\n Annette Prince, director of Chicago Bird Collusion Monitors, said that the story evidences the teamwork that goes into rescuing birds. <\/p>\n Staff at the DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center have \u201cgiven their expertise, their talent and their resources to helping the many birds that we find injured through a variety of urban hazards,\u201d Prince said. \u201cWe are hoping to protect these birds and give them this wonderful second chance in the wild. And we\u2019re very grateful to work cooperatively to make these success stories happen.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"CRANE-081525-4.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/9c176cf\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/742x556+0+0\/resize\/840x629!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F4f%2F03%2Fe6007b8f4bb4838a2667c59765ce%2Fcrane-081525-4.jpg\")
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