The red-crowned crane, or tanchou, is such an important
and rare a bird that it has its own recognized international
center located in the city of Kushiro, Hokkaido. This bird
is even said to be a harbinger of good luck in general
Japanese beliefs, even the indigenous people of
Hokkaido said that they were marsh gods of the land. At
Akan International Crane Center, there is a museum
displaying information about the ecosystem and the
crane’s life, a crane sanctuary, a breeding center, and
also a feeding ground.
At the beginning of 20th century, only about 40 cranes
survived in the depths of the wetland. Extinction was only
a matter of time. Then, in January of 1950, several
cranes came to the cultivated field of Mr. Sadajiro
Yamazaki in Kami-Akan. Mr. Yamazaki tried to feed them
on his corn for cattle. The cranes ate the corn and began
to visit his field in successive years. In 1952 when severe
snow storms hit eastern Hokkaido, artificial feeding
succeeded also at Hororo Elementary School in Tsurui.
Many people have participated in feeding thereafter.
Kami-Akan, where Mr. Yamazaaki lived and succeeded in
feeding the cranes first, is now called "the home of
artificial feeding." The farm fields near the town of akan
are known as birthplace of the artificial feeding program
for cranes and the area is well-known as a major
wintering area for large flocks of cranes. Although the
citizens of Akan have been involved in crane
conservation for many decades, the Akan International
Crane Center (AICC) is a new institution.
In the main building at AICC, through the use of audio-
visuals and exhibits, the visitor learns about the biology
of the tanchou. Captive cranes are maintained in semi-
natural wetlands and visitors are able to observe cranes
without disturbing wild cranes. The information is
essential in developing sound conservation programs.
The information and the results are shared with visitors
through special lectures and workshops convened at
AICC. Just north of the AICC is the Tancho Observation
Center established in 1977. This annex is open from
November through March and about 300 wild cranes can
be observed. It is here that a farmer, Mr. Sadajiro
Yamazaki, started feeding cranes in 1950.
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