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Kushiro Shitsugen NP, Hokkaido
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After marsh conversion and hunting made the crane seem extinct in Japan, more than a dozen were found in 1924 at Chiruwatsunai, now in Tsurui Village. In 1925, the area became a no-hunting zone.
In a February 1952 blizzard, cranes sought food by Horo Elementary School; pupils, their principal and neighbors fed them dent corn, livestock maize. That year's first count found 33; by 2005, the count topped 1,000.
Early rescue efforts included releasing loaches and transplanting seri, a Japanese parsley-like plant, to supply crane food. These clever experiments brought no visible rise in numbers; winter corn feeding proved more successful.
Founded in 1957, Akan Junior High’s “Tsuru Club” fed and studied cranes. A 1964 national TV report brought the school donations and large shipments of feed from viewers across Japan.
In 1970, Kushiro’s Red-crowned Crane Park achieved the world’s first artificial hatching of the species. Keeper Ryoji Takahashi had begun experiments in 1964—6 years of trial before the breakthrough.
The Kushiro Country Red-crowned Crane Protection Association formed in 1935 to deter poaching and spread conservation ideas. Wartime stopped its work, but members revived it in 1946, even while local life remained difficult.
The breeding ground became a Natural Monument in 1935; the cranes and site became Special Natural Monuments in 1952; in 1967, the species received nationwide status, beyond a protected patch around Kushiro.
The local protection association planned Kushiro Crane Park in 1957 and formed a public-private committee to build it. Despite money shortages and nationwide fundraising, the park opened in August 1958 with 5 cranes.
Tsurui dairy farmer Ito Ryotaka began feeding cranes on his land in 1966, later serving for decades as a feeding and monitoring caretaker. The Wild Bird Society opened a sanctuary there in 1987; his family continued the agreement.
A 1972 field survey found that most nesting cranes were outside the then-protected zone. It exposed a crucial limit: safeguarding the birds alone could not secure the marsh they needed.
Kushiro Zoo’s crane breeding center opened in 1982, when only about 300 wild cranes were counted; its captive program began with 4 birds. Ringed releases later showed about 60% survived a year, and some bred.
Winter feeding worked so well that it created a new challenge: over 90% of cranes gather at Kushiro-area feeding sites. Managers now adjust feeding and encourage dispersal because crowding can amplify disease risk.
An Ainu natural-history dictionary records sarorun-cir, “reed-bed bird,” while Tsurui Village also lists sarorun-kamuy, “wetland god”—a reminder that names vary locally. The dictionary notes a crane dance passed down in several areas.
