Red-Crowned Crane Nature Park

Red-Crowned Crane Nature Park

The red-crowned crane is called Sarurunkamui in the Ainu tongue, meaning The God of the Wetlands. It is a protected species that only lives in eastern Hokkaido. The nature park was created in 1958 to protect this bird, whose numbers dropped to the verge of extinction due to overhunting. Five generations have been born since the first ever successful breeding in captivity for this species in 2005, in addition to natural breeding in the park. You can view 18 of the cranes in a nearly natural setting inside wire netting that stretches 180 meters north and south, and 340 meters east and west. A popular activity that attracts many tourists is seeing the adorable chicks that hatch every May being raised by their parents, something you can't normally catch a glimpse of elsewhere.