Watch: Crowned crane takes on a herd of elephants [video]
A crowned crane recently took on a herd of elephants in Maasai Mara in southwestern Kenya.
Latest Sightings shared the video saying that a crowned crane is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List and is protected by law in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Kenya. These cranes are usually very territorial (especially in pairs) and can get quite aggressive defending their territory or chicks. But apparently it’s a different story when size comes to play, and for this crane, it seems that size was not even a problem when it took on a herd of elephants!
Taking on a herd of elephants
The incredible sighting was shared with Latest Sightings by WildEarth’s SafariLive show. It is a company that streams live safaris every day from the Greater Kruger, and other reserves. In this episode Tayla McCurdy, the presenter, narrates the experience.
McCurdy, who is from South Africa, says that a crowned crane had some eggs in an open area when a herd of elephants tried to walk through, grazing on the water plants which seem grass-like.
“I cannot say for sure if this is a male or female crowned crane, as both genders sit on the nest during breeding season,” says McCurdy. “The crane jumped to the defense of the unborn chicks, as the mother took on the elephants!
“The elephant seemed rather bemused by the situation and remained curious as to why the bird was flapping its wings. Various alarm calls did, in fact, seem to work at the beginning, as the bird kept launching forward, flapping wings and calling in defense of its nest. Eventually, the elephant became rather irritated and tried to push the bird away with its trunk before wandering off, leaving the eggs unharmed.”
The bird, seemingly relaxed, then turned its attention to a baby elephant calf grazing nearby.
The young elephant then trumpeted a warning call and paced quickly in the direction of the calf.
“The crane then moved off, realizing that there was no longer any danger, leaving the elephant to graze peacefully but keeping a close eye.”
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