Population of Cuban Crane Triples

Havana, Aug 2. – The population of the crane, the largest bird in Cuba, almost tripled in one year, for a total of 204 specimens in the Los Indios environmental reserve in the special municipality of the Isle of Youth.

Fidel Quiala, a technician with the crane protection program, said Cuba had only 60 cranes last year. All that growth occurred despite the fact that forest fires affected three crane nests on the 5,395-hectare reserve, the National News Agency reported.

Actions for protecting the birds include monitoring their nests, measuring eggs and counting chicks, stated Quiala, who said the bird's nesting season unfortunately coincided with forest fires.(Prensa Latina)