Crowned cranes find a safe haven in the wildlife reserve of Zhalong, Heilongjiang, the most northern province of China. The red-crowned crane and the white-naped crane are both on the endangered list but at the wildlife reserve at Zhalong, they feel safe enough to breed.
In the Zhalong wildlife reserve reeds and marshlands can be found everywhere, making an ideal nesting site for the red crowned cranes and other species of cranes and waterfowl.
Without suitable breeding grounds the numbers of red crowned cranes, and other endangered species of wildlife, would inevitably be reduced, threatening extinction. To meet human needs, marshlands are drained and turned over to agriculture; reeds are harvested for domestic purposes; rivers are re-routed and new roads built. The red crowned cranes lose the wetland breeding grounds, to which they used to return during the breeding season.
A pair of red-crowned cranes once they have mated and established a bond, can be expected to remain together for the rest of their lives. The courtship of the red-crowned cranes includes a wonderful ceremony of dancing; bowing with wings half extended; dancing stiff-legged around each other with the occassional high leap into the air, with legs hanging loosely below them.
The red-crowned crane has a special place in the Chinese culture as an ancient symbol of immortality. Pine trees and Red-Crowned Cranes both being symbols of longevity can be used in wishing people a long life.
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