Biologists counting whooping cranes in Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada’s northwest region have found their number have increased from 16 in the 1950s to about 300.
Whooping cranes are the largest bird in North America, up to 1.5 metres in height and with a wingspan of up to 2.4 metres. Once on the brink of extinction, they are now listed one step up, as endangered on Canada’s Species At Risk Public Registry.
This government-mandated list provides different levels of legal protection for wild animals and their habitats.
Wood Buffalo National Park is the largest national park in Canada and one of the largest in the world. The annual summer survey of whooping cranes covered an area of between 4,000-5,000 square kilometres and was conducted by helicopter.
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