Renowned crane conservationist George Archibald just returned from a global tour to meet every species of crane in the wild. Here’s what he saw.
This week, when George Archibald arrived in Port Aransas, Texas for the annual Whooping Crane Festival, it marked the end of a remarkable journey. He was back with his beloved Whooping Cranes—one of the birds that inspired him to start the International Crane Foundation (ICF) in 1973—after a whirlwind tour visiting all 15 species of cranes in their native habitats.
For six weeks he travelled around the world, stopping in nine countries on four continents, to check in on the Whoopers’ extended family: the six-foot-tall Sarus Crane in India, South Africa’s Grey Crowned-Crane with its elegant spray of golden head feathers, the bluish-gray, salt-water-drinking Brolga in Australia, and many more. Read more in Audubon Magazine.