NEWS 11 SUNDAY TRIBUNE APRIL 29 2018 Guarding the Blue FACTFILE The KZN Crane Foundation When it comes to endangered is part of an international programme to protect 15 of crane, which have , Nduduzo is spreading the been badly depleted over the past century. message, writes Liz Clarke Cranes are the world’s tallest flying and one EW know more about of the most in danger of ’s national extinction. They are state- bird, the Blue Crane, ly inhabitants of open than Nduduzo Khoza. , wet plains and FHe loved them as a child. He’s grasslands and they occur now determined to take their on all continents except cry for preservation to the Antarctica and South highest level possible. America. “We cannot let them dis- In South Africa, there are appear. They have been in three species of cranes, existence since ancient times. the , They are part of our history. the , and They are part of our heritage.” Poster of the crane species. the national bird, the Blue It’s this heartfelt message Crane, which is endemic that he is broadcasting loud This series focuses area is polluted. When you urgency of what the Crane to South Africa. Unlike the and clear. He believes that the on people who are don’t hear them anymore you Foundation is trying to do to similar-looking but unrelat- ones who should be listening making a difference in must worry. They are nature’s increase the numbers. ed herons, cranes fly with and who should be concerned alarm raisers. We need to pro- “The Blue Crane usually necks outstretched, not about the extinction of South their communities. If tect them.” Khoza grew up in lays two , but only keeps pulled back. Africa’s indigenous birds are you know of someone Lotheni, in the Drakensberg, one of them,” he explains. “We Most species of cranes the new generation of school- who is a change- where his father worked for carefully remove the discarded depend on wetlands and children. Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. and incubate it in a special grasslands for nesting and “They need to realise that maker in your society, “He would take me into the container.” foraging. With the destruc- there are only 500 pairs of Blue e-mail: tribunenews@ reserve and teach me about He shows his young audi- tion of these habitats for Cranes left in South Africa, a inl.co.za with their the environment and the ani- ence a scaled-down cardboard agriculture, the birds have few in KZN. That is terrible. We details. mals, mainly birds and frogs. I box model of the incubator, been affected by human cannot let this happen.” used to watch the cranes in the which has a flap that opens activities and most are An activist for the KZN early morning. I knew their automatically when the bird classified as threatened to Crane Foundation at Karkloof sounds. He said to me that one has hatched and is ready to fly. critically endangered. in KZN, Khoza was one of the day I must work to keep them “Who is there to help the The threats to Blue Cranes main presenters at the recent like these is to encourage Nduduzo Khoza answering a cry for help from a Blue Crane, the national bird of South Africa. This species has flying.” baby?” asks one learner. include poisoning and col- World Wildlife Earth Day at young people to become the Khoza knew that in “No one,” replies Khoza. declined mostly due to loss of habitat, direct and indirect poisoning and power-line collisions. lisions with power lines. the KZN Botanical Gardens in custodians of the future and to do that, he would need to “It must be the same as They are also traded illegal- Pietermaritzburg. realise that these wonderful have some sort of training. He being in the wild – no humans ly or kept as pets. They may The annual event, organised birds will only survive if there enrolled with Damelin, com- nearby. These babies are the also struggle with farming on a volunteer basis, attracts are enough people to protect relatives the Grey Crowned ating harmful poisons from the healthy environment. pleting a three-year diploma as only hope we have of saving infrastructure, like fencing, several hundred primary them. We don’t have much time Crane and the Wattled Crane, environment. “You show most children a a tour guide and nature guide, the species.” bailing twine and water school children, many from left to save them.” is dependent on preserving Twenty-seven-year-old live frog and they will look at focusing on KZN’s protected “We never knew any of troughs where chicks often resource-poor areas where He explains to his young their natural habitat, conserv- Khoza has grown up know- you in horror,” he says hold- open spaces. this,” said a learner. “I want to drown. Their habitat is also environmental education is audience that the survival of ing the wetlands where they ing not only wild birds, but ing a tank containing a live There is a part of his intro- do something. We all must do under threat – like grass- limited. endangered species like the breed and live, stopping all the role that other crea- frog. “And yet these are the ductory presentation on crane something.” Khoza agrees. land and Karoo veld. “What we try to do at events Blue Crane and their close forms of poaching and elimin- tures play in maintaining a creatures that leave when your species that highlights the [email protected]