Crested cranes: Uganda's disappearing national bird

BBC News16-02-2025

With its distinctive golden crown, red throat pouch and slender black legs, the crested crane is beloved in Uganda - featuring on the East African nation's flag and coat of arms.All the country's national sports teams are also nicknamed after the iconic bird, but in recent years it has gone into decline and conservationists say it may face extinction if more is not done to protect it.The bird is protected by law - it stipulates a life sentence and/or a fine of 20bn Ugandan shillings ($5m; £4m) for those found to have killed one.Going back centuries, local Buganda cultural superstition also protected the elegant fowl, which was seen as a symbol of wealth, good fortune and longevity.It was believed that if one killed a crane, its kith and kin would flock to the killer's home, hold vigil and mourn by collectively honking until the person went mad or even died."Such stories instilled fear, and cranes would be respected and revered and not killed," Jimmy Muheebwa, a senior conservationist at Nature Uganda, a local non-governmental organisation (NGO), told the BBC.
But for farmers in western Uganda, where the cranes mostly hang out, that fear has dissipated and often it is only conservationists who appear to know about the ban on killing them."I really don't see any value in these birds because all they do is raid our plantations and eat our crops. We are worried about food security in this area," Tom Mucunguzi, a maize farmer from a village near Mbarara city in Western Region, told the BBC.Another farmer near Mbarara, Fausita Aritua, agreed, saying when she goes to her maize plot she spends the whole day chasing away the cranes - and if she cannot get there, she tries to get someone else to stand guard."We no longer harvest as much as we used to do because these birds eat everything," she told the BBC.Also known as grey-crowned cranes, the birds are predominantly found in Uganda but are also in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe.They are non-migratory, but make local and seasonal movements depending on food resources, nest site availability and the weather.Standing at about 1m (3.2ft) tall, the waterfowl mostly live in wetland areas - riverbanks, around dams and open grassland - where they breed and feed on grass seeds, small toads, frogs, insects and other invertebrates.But with the increasing human population, the high demand for food is pushing farmers to cultivate in wetlands, leaving crested cranes with diminishing areas to call home."In eastern Africa, the population has declined terribly by over 80% in the last 25 years," Adalbert Ainomucunguzi, who leads the International Crane Foundation (ICF) in East Africa, told BBC.In the1970s, Uganda boasted a population of more than 100,000 crested cranes, but today that number has dwindled to a mere 10,000, according to Nature Uganda.This decline saw the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) put the crested crane on its red list of endangered bird species in 2012.
"Despite its serenity, beauty and popularity, the bird is facing a serious threat. It means that if no urgent measures are taken to reverse this trend, we might see the cranes pushed to extinction," Dan Sseruge, a Ugandan ornithologist, told the BBC.Around Mbarara we found it was difficult to track down the birds - and only saw them early in the morning just after dawn. Conservationists say they used to be much easier to find in the landscape surrounding Mbarara.Dozens of cranes have in recent years been found dead after they were poisoned by rice and maize farmers in Lwengo district, in south-central Uganda."One of the biggest threats against cranes is poisoning by the farmers. This is because the birds are causing a lot of crop damage," Gilbert Tayebwa, a conservation officer at ICF, told BBC.Mr Tayebwa said he has been engaging farmers to use different deterrent methods like scarecrows to protect their crops from invading cranes.Farmers like Philip Ntare, from Lwengo, said the cranes were sometimes mistakenly poisoned after eating crops sprayed with agro-chemicals and other pesticides."I just chase them, because I grew up knowing the crested crane is not supposed to be killed. But government should consider compensating farmers for crop damage," he told the BBC.However, John Makombo, director of conservation at the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), said this was not possible."It is one of those precious species that have freedom to go anywhere and so unfortunately the government is not liable for any damage done by the cranes," he told the BBC.
Sarah Kugonza, an ICF conservationist, said the cranes also face a host of other threats - not just from farmers. Without the protective cover of the wetlands, their chicks are more likely to be captured by eagles.Cranes are finding day by day that they are living in an increasingly hostile environment."Sometimes breeding areas are flooded and nowadays some cranes are killed by electricity lines when flying," Ms Kugonza told BBC.Their exceptional beauty has also put them at risk as people are increasingly capturing them to be pets, according to Mr Ainomucunguzi.But crested cranes, who can live for just over two decades, hardly ever breed in captivity as the birds are famously faithful."It is a highly monogamous bird as it pairs once, for life. This means that if one of them is killed or domesticated, the likelihood of finding a new mating partner is almost zero," said Mr Muheebwa.They attract a mate by dancing, bowing and jumping - and are often seen walking as couples or families. A pair will define their own territory and can be very aggressive to defend it.
Scientifically called Balearica regulorum gibbericeps, the cranes also have unique nesting patterns as they usually return to the same location annually, often laying between two and five eggs that are incubated by both sexes for anywhere between 28 and 31 days.Any destruction to these nesting areas impacts on these breeding patterns.Their monogamy has also attracted the unwelcome attention of local traditional healers, who claim that the parts of crested crane may bring faithfulness from a partner - or good luck."Some people have been caught hunting cranes to take some of their body parts to witch doctors in a belief that they will get rich. Or, if you are a woman, your husband will never leave you," Mr Tayebwa from ICF said.This is also something conservationists are trying to counter - as well as alerting people to the law protecting cranes.
And in an effort to reverse declining numbers, the Ugandan government and conservationist groups are now rallying communities to restore wetlands.President Yoweri Museveni, who comes from the Western Region, has been urging encroachers to vacate wetland areas and, according to local media, has declared 2025 a year of wetland conservation.The ICF has also recruited custodians to monitor and ensure that the cranes' breeding grounds are protected.Nature Uganda's Mr Muheebwa said these efforts were slowly helping to stabilise the situation but crane numbers remained "very low".For Mr Makombo, the UWA's future emphasis is going to be on setting an example when it comes to the law."We shall arrest and prosecute those who are poisoning the cranes," he said.
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'I spent 16 months in Gaza amid Israel's genocide. Here's what I saw'

The National

6 hours ago

The National

'I spent 16 months in Gaza amid Israel's genocide. Here's what I saw'

'I was just looking, 'God, that is my family name'. And this, this is how I met my family, in the mortuary.' That happened on the day Dr Mohamed Alsakka arrived in Gaza in February 2024. With the region under constant bombardment by the Israeli military, such tragedies would come throughout his time in the region – but he refused to let them define it. READ MORE: BBC coverage of Israel's war on Gaza shows 'pattern of bias' – report An A&E consultant, Dr Mohamed had intended to volunteer in Gaza for two weeks – but what he saw on the ground compelled him to stay for 16 months and set up a charity focused on rebuilding. 'I know I did upset my NGO at the time, but I had no option,' he told the Sunday National. 'They said you have to leave. The IOF [Israel Occupational Forces], they're asking for your name in particular, why you're still there. 'I said, it's very simple. I'm of Palestinian background, I've got family here, and I can't leave them.' Dr Mohamed said that he saw a way to help the people of Gaza beyond his work as a medic, but it involved crossing lines that the large NGOs would not. So, he co-founded Rebuild Gaza 24 and began digging water wells. 'People want to stay at home, they don't want to leave, but the IOF, the first thing they do after the order of evacuation is cut the sources of water,' he said. 'This is where my duty, my work was concentrated, just digging water wells. 'Actually, it started with a challenge because the first water well I wanted to do, I was told I needed to get approval from the IOF. 'As a stubborn Palestinian, I just said, 'well, guess what, no one is allowed to tell me what to do in my land'.' He added: 'I can challenge all the NGOs: has anyone dug a water well? [No.] That's because the IOF wouldn't allow it. So, that's why I stayed.' READ MORE: Watch as journalist Peter Oborne calls out BBC double standards over Gaza Dr Mohamed, who works and lives in England, had to leave his wife and three children behind for his work in Gaza – but he said their support was 'beyond expectation', as it was from the wider UK public. He said that Rebuild Gaza was not intended to do things for the Palestinians, but to help them do things themselves. Over 16 months, he helped build an extensive network across Gaza that has dug some 18 wells – which the charity says can supply some 200,000 people. As the network developed, they also set up refugee camps, field hospitals, and even food supply chains. 'Gaza is very agricultural – just to give you an insight, most of the farms are in the eastern part of Gaza, obviously with the invasion and the destruction, many of these farms we've lost,' Dr Mohamed explained. 'But the team and myself, we managed to get hold of a couple of farmers who have their farms between the red zone and what they consider a humanitarian zone. These guys, when they knew what we were doing, they allowed us to buy off them directly. From the crops straight into the hands of Gaza's most vulnerable. Inside the most dangerous red zone where few can reach, but the need is greatest. Thank you to Dr Mohamed @rebuildgaza24 and the brave team risking everything to deliver. Please keep supporting every donation keeps… — RebuildGaza24 (@rebuildgaza24) June 17, 2025 'We literally just pick it up and deliver it to people. But the process itself, going and picking up these vegetables, is really very risky – I mean extremely risky – but the job has to be done.' That is no exaggeration. To cross a line laid down by the Israeli military is to risk death. On the day he left Gaza, Dr Mohamed said, three of Rebuild Gaza's team members were shot dead. But the team understands the risks involved in working during what international experts – and witnesses such as Dr Mohamed – do not hesitate to call a genocide. When we first spoke, the Rebuild Gaza co-founder said that he is a 'genocide survivor'. Asked about the term when we spoke for a second time, he said: 'What do you call this? 'They're killing kids, for god's sake, kids. Do you know how many families have been wiped out from the register? 'Do you know how many people, the number of amputations in Gaza? Do you know how many widows in Gaza? Do you know how many orphans in Gaza? It is beyond imagination. READ MORE: MPs call on UK Government to publish Gaza 'genocide' papers 'And this is still continuous. I was asked if I have PTSD, and I said, 'Look, we might need to find a new term'. PTSD is a post-traumatic stress disorder, but it's an ongoing process. It hasn't finished yet.' Listening to Dr Mohamed's experiences in Gaza is harrowing. Death is part of daily life under the Israeli occupation. He recalled one such example: 'I went and saw a friend of mine. Honestly, in the morning, I saw him, I was talking to him, we had a laugh, you know, talking about normal things. 'Then in the evening, his house was hit. My own friend – I know his name, his kids, you know – he was in two halves, his guts were dangling from the first floor to the ground floor, and his kids were burned.' The stories mount up. There are too many to recount. But for Dr Mohamed, one in particular stands out. 'I need to tell you this story about my three aunties,' he said. 'It's one of the most brutal, barbaric, horrible, disgusting ways of killing.' Dr Mohamed Alsakka, speaking to the Sunday National after returning to the UK from Gaza (Image: NQ) The three sisters – Maysoon, Arwa, and Rafida – had refused to leave their home in north Gaza three times, ignoring warnings from the Israeli military to evacuate. A neighbour who did as she was commanded was found just down the street with a bullet in her head, Dr Mohamed said. But then, the soldiers came for the sisters as well. 'We received a phone call at 6.30 in the morning from my auntie. She was crying her guts out and she said, naming her two sisters, she said 'they came and they killed Maysoon and Arwa. They're just lying next to me with bullets in the head, both of them'. 'We said, we're glad you're OK. She said, 'Well, I begged them to kill me, and they said, you're not even worth the bullet'. 'After – this was all live on the phone at 6:30 in the morning – she said, I can smell burning. She said, 'The house is on fire', and then we lost communication.' READ MORE: SNP councillor succeeds in bid to force Labour action on Israeli arms sales The three sisters' deaths were reported by the Swiss-based Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor in July 2024. The charity said it was 'investigating reports that the Israeli army forces committed extrajudicial killings and unlawful executions of numerous residents, the majority of whom were women'. For Dr Mohamed, the deaths serve as a demonstration of 'just how brutal this army is'. 'There's absolutely no heart, there's no differentiation between kids and adults, learning disabilities, anything. They just shoot and kill anyone in cold blood,' he said. 'The IOF. They just want to cut all sources of support, anything that will support people, they just kill it, slaughter it, as they have done for the water.' You can support Rebuild Gaza 24 through the charity website at