Audubon Zoo Celebrates Whooping Crane Day Saturday, May 28, 2016

Audubon Zoo Celebrates Whooping Crane Day

Saturday, May 28, 2016

(New Orleans, La.) - Audubon Zoo will celebrate Whooping Crane Day on Saturday, May 28, with special presentations about the endangered species, which is North America's' tallest bird. Audubon Zoo's bird curators will greet visitors at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Saturday in front of the whooping crane exhibit, located near the Cooper Plaza fountain. A display board with information about whooping cranes will be outside the exhibit throughout the day.

Audubon Zoo is home to a duo of whooping cranes, Kiowa and Sioux. Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center on the West Bank is having a direct impact on the expanding population of whooping cranes in human care and in the the wild.

"We breed multiple pairs of our whooping cranes and send the fertile eggs to the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland whose experts raises the chicks and release them back into the wild," said Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center Curator Michelle Hatwood. "We're very excited to be part of a program that is saving whooping cranes from the brink of exinction."

The whooping crane population went from 14 animals in the 1950's to more than 400 animals today in the wild and managed populations. Audubon Nature Institute's goal is increase whooping crane egg production by 20% - a monumental achievement for North America's most endangered bird.

One of the easiest ways that the public can take part in conservation efforts for whooping cranes is to visit an Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited attraction. Doing so directly supports the collaborative efforts of hundreds of researchers, field conservationists and scientists working to save animals from extinction.

Audubon Nature Institute operates a family of museums, parks and research facilities dedicated to celebrating the wonders of nature. Through innovative live animal exhibits, education programs, and scientific discovery, Audubon makes a meaningful contribution to preserving wildlife for the future. Audubon Nature Institute flagships include Audubon Park, Audubon Zoo, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, Entergy Giant Screen Theater, Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium, Audubon Louisiana Nature Center, Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Special Survival Center, Woldenberg Riverfront Park and Audubon Wilderness Park. Ron Forman is President and CEO of Audubon Nature Institute.

###