Kotze’s nest mound is VERY impressive – about 10 inches tall and almost three feet wide.
Look for her egg to the right of the arrow.
The first egg of the year has arrived! Yes, we know it is still winter at our headquarters in Wisconsin, but our female Wattled Crane Kotze had other plans when she laid our first egg last month.
We breed our Wattled Cranes through our participation in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan for Wattled Cranes, which are classified as Vulnerable and in need of protection. To ensure that the captive population remains genetically healthy, we are breeding Kotze with a male who is not her mate using artificial insemination. The male hasn’t been as excited as Kotze about breeding in Wisconsin winters and has not provided a viable sample, so this first egg was infertile.
We plan to continue our breeding efforts with our Wattled Cranes and hope that our next update might share even more exciting news!
