Could reintroduction of cranes in the Cairngorms take off?
Rewilding charity SCOTLAND: The Big Picture has hosted a well-attended public meeting in Kincraig to share informaton and provide views on its plans to reintroduce common cranes to the area.
It was a good turn-out on Wednesday (10) and a wide range of interests were represented, from local families to businesses including landowners.
Andrea Goddard, Cairngorms Cranes project lead, explained that once the necessary licences and
permits have been approved, “the basic premise is to collect around 24 viable crane eggs from
Europe, rear the resulting chicks in specially constructed facilities and then gradually release the
fledging juveniles to the wild”.
The chicks will be “costume reared”, meaning people wear outfits that mimic the shape of adult
cranes and use hand puppetry to feed the chicks, so that the young birds are prepared for life in the wild without becoming used to humans.
Ms Goddard said: “After four years of releases this should result in a viable, self-sustaining
population of around 20 breeding pairs and non-breeding juveniles by 2030 – boosting the total
Scottish breeding population by around 300% and returning cranes to much of their former range in time.
“We’re very excited at the prospect of once again hearing the evocative call of the crane echo
through the glens.”
The evening included much constructive questioning and comment, and resulted in overwhelmingly positive feedback.
More information here
