• Recycled aluminum reduces pollution by 95 percent.
  • Four pounds of bauxite are saved for every pound of aluminum recycled.
  • Enough aluminum is thrown away to rebuild our commercial air fleet four times every year.
  • Recycled aluminum saves 95 percent energy versus virgin aluminum; recycling of one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours.
 

Whooping Crane Reintroduction

Probably the most well-known endangered species in Canada is the elegant white whooping crane. Numbers of this majestic bird dropped to a low of 16 individuals in the 1940s. Efforts to bring this species back from the brink of extinction are part of a joint Canada-U.S. plan.

Project Overview

The Calgary Zoo has been a long-term supporter of the whooping crane recovery program, with the Conservation Fund dedicating over $30,000 per year to reintroduction efforts. As well, young cranes are hatched and raised at the Zoo's Nat Christie Whooping Crane Breeding Facility south of Calgary for release to the wild.

At present, there are three flocks: the original one that nests in northern Alberta and migrates to the Gulf Coast of Texas; a new migratory flock trained by ultra-light pilots that migrates between Wisconsin and Florida every year; and a non-migratory flock that is being established in Florida. This is the one we have been contributing to with our birds.