Sarus Crane - Conservation Status

Conservation Status

There were about an estimated 15–20,000 mature Sarus Cranes left in the wild in 2009. The Indian population is less than 10,000, but of the three subspecies, is the healthiest in terms of numbers. They are considered sacred and the birds are traditionally left unharmed, and in many areas they are unafraid of humans. They used to be found on occasion in Pakistan, but have not been seen there since the late 1980s. The population in India has however declined. Estimates of the global population suggest that the population in 2000 was at best about 10% and at the worst just 2.5% of the numbers that existed in 1850. Many farmers in India believe that these cranes damage standing crops, particularly rice, although studies show that direct feeding on rice grains resulted in losses amounting to less than one percent and trampling could account for grain loss of about 0.4–15 kilograms (0.88–33 lb). The attitude of farmers tends to be positive in spite of these damages, and this has helped in conserving the species within agricultural areas. Compensating farmers for crop losses has been suggested as a measure that may help. The role of rice paddies may be particularly important for the birds' conservation, since natural wetlands are increasingly threatened by human activity. The Australian population is greater than 5,000 birds and may be increasing, however, the Southeast Asian subspecies has been decimated by war and habitat change (such as intensive agriculture and draining of wetlands) and by the mid-20th century had disappeared from large parts of its range which once stretched up to southern China; some 1500–2000 birds are left in several fragmented subpopulations. The little-known Philippine population became extinct in the late 1960s.

The Sarus Crane is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Threats include habitat destruction and/or degradation, hunting and collecting, as well as environmental pollution and possibly diseases or competing species. The effects of inbreeding in the Australian population may need to be studied.

The species has been extirpated in Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand. Reintroduction programs planned in Thailand have made use of birds from Cambodia.