International Crane Foundation

Salutations!

Here is the fourth entry in my series of posts reviewing Wisconsin zoos:

E4: International Crane Foundation (this post)

This time we'll discuss the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin, and which is known for its global efforts to conserve cranes across 50 countries and 5 continents.

All of the pictures in this post were taken by me except for the map.

INTERNATIONAL CRANE FOUNDATION

E11376 Shady Lane Rd
Baraboo, WI, 53913

Website: https://savingcranes.org/

Hours:

May 1 to October 31
Open Daily: 9 AM - 5 PM

Cost (as of 2025):

Adults (Ages 18+): $12.50
Seniors (Ages 65+): $10
Youth (Ages 6-17): $6
Children (Ages 5 and under): FREE
Members and guests: FREE
School field trips: $2.00/Youth (Ages 6-17)
Adult group tours: $10.00/Adult (Ages 18+)

Parking is free.

20% discount for AAA members.

The International Crane Foundation participates in the AZA reciprocity program at the 100% level. Members of institutions participating at 100% get free admission at other institutions participating at the 100% level and 50% off admission at institutions participating at the 50% level. Members of institutions participating at 50% get half off admission at all participating institutions.

Estimated Time: 1-2 hours.

I spent about 2 hours.

While some of the exhibits have shade there are many which do not so expect to be in the sun the majority of the time.

SUMMARY

International Crane Foundation Map.jpg

If you love birds and especially cranes, then you'll thoroughly enjoy the International Crane Foundation. If birds aren't your thing, then you may want to skip this attraction. The International Crane Foundation is highly specialized so just like the American Banjo Museum, French Cable Museum, and Whydah Pirate Museum, if the area of focus doesn't pique your interest you may want to go elsewhere.

While the International Crane Foundation does have all 15 species of crane, you may not be able to see them all. The habitats are quite large with plenty of hiding places. During my visit:

Two crane species were extremely interested in people and came close so I was able to get a great view and wonderful pictures (Black-Necked Crane & White-Naped Crane).
There are multiple vantage points of the Wattled Cranes' habitat so I was able to get good looks at them.
For 7 of the crane species, I was only able to see them from a distance and get some low-quality pictures (Sarus Crane, Blue Crane, Black Crowned Crane, Grey Crowned Crane, Red-Crowned Crane, Brolga, & Whooping Crane).
For 2 crane species, I was only able to see them from a distance and it wasn't a worthwhile view to even bother taking a picture (Demoiselle Crane & Hooded Crane).
And there were 3 cranes I wasn't able to see at all because they were hiding (Sandhill Crane, Eurasian Crane, & Siberian Crane).

If you go in expecting this to be a zoo where you'll see a lot of animals, you may be disappointed because you won't get to see too many of the cranes close-up. On solely the zoo aspect, the International Crane Foundation would probably be just an average 2 stars.

However, if you shift your mindset and see the International Crane Foundation as a crane-themed living museum and education center, then it's actually pretty good. There are numerous pieces of beautiful crane-themed art, you can learn a lot about cranes and conservation, and in the spring (but not when I visited) you can also see and read about various flowers and how the native Ho-Chunk used them for medicinal purposes. I had a better time than I expected and enjoyed my visit. Viewing the International Crane Foundation in totality, I would give it 3 stars.

I did learn some interesting things about cranes. How there are 15 species but none live in South America or Antarctica. Australia only has one native species (Brolga). There are two species in North America (Sandhill & Whooping) and the Whooping Crane was on the verge of extinction until it made a comeback due to conservation efforts. Africa is home to 4 cranes that stay on the continent (Grey Crowned, Black Crowned, Wattled & Blue Cranes) and 2 migrating species (Demoiselle & Eurasian) which come from Europe/Asia. And Asia is home to LOTS of crane species (8).

One thing the International Crane Foundation did really well was that each exhibit had the name, biographical information, and history of each crane that was there (birthdate, where it was born, previous homes, and something about the personality of the bird). That really helped to personalize each bird. Unfortunately that information isn't readily found online on the website. In contrast, the Racine Zoo doesn't have any such biographical information at the physical exhibits at the zoo, but it has a lot of detailed information online for each individual animal. More zoos should share those details, both on-site and online.

Comparing the International Crane Foundation to other zoo-like attractions:

5 stars:

Brookfield Zoo (Brookfield, IL)

4 stars:

Milwaukee County Zoo (Milwaukee, WI)

3 stars:

Lincoln Park Zoo (Chicago, IL, Free)
Zoo Atlanta (Atlanta, GA)
Buttonwood Park Zoo (New Bedford, MA)
Butterflies of Cape Cod (Bourne, MA)
International Crane Foundation (Baraboo, WI)
Henry Vilas Zoo (Madison, WI, Free)

2 stars:

Audubon Insectarium (New Orleans, LA)
Audubon Zoo (New Orleans, LA)
Sarasota Jungle Gardens (Sarasota, FL)
Save Our Seabirds Wild Bird Learning Center (Sarasota, FL, Free)
San Francisco Zoo & Gardens (San Francisco, CA)
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (Vallejo, CA)
Franklin Park Zoo (Boston, MA)
Capron Park Zoo (Attleboro, MA)
Taylor-Bray Farm (Yarmouth Port, MA, Free)
Racine Zoo (Racine, WI)
Ochsner Park Zoo (Baraboo, WI, Free)
John Ball Zoo (Grand Rapids, MI)
Potter Park Zoo (Lansing, MI)

1 star:

Cosley Zoo (Wheaton, IL)
Stone Zoo (Stoneham, MA)
Timbavati Wildlife Park (Wisconsin Dells, WI)
Binder Park Zoo (Battle Creek, MI)

BLACK-NECKED CRANE

The black-necked crane exhibit had a particularly nice mural:

Bhutan: Black-necked Cranes nest on wetlands as high as 16,500 feet above sea level on the Tibetan Plateau. About 600 cranes migrate as high as 25,000 feet over the Himalayas to winter in Bhutan. In early November, a Crane Festival is held in the compound of a 16th-century temple to celebrate the cranes' return to the valley.

China: Strictly protected by Buddhists throughout their range across the highlands of southwest China and in neighboring areas in India and Bhutan, Black-necked Cranes have learned to trust humans. They nest in wetlands bordered by grasslands where Tibetan herders live in summer while grazing their livestock.

Black-Necked Crane
Grus nigricollis

Crusty (Male)
Crusty hatched on July 13, 2003, here at the International Crane Foundation. When he hatched, some of the yolk and membrane inside his eggshell stuck to his downy feathers and he looed a bit rough. The aviculturists caring for him started calling him Crusty and the name stuck, just like his early feathers.

Beorn (Female)
Beorn hatched on July 30, 2004, and was hand reared by our staff here at the International Crane Foundation. She is named for a character in the novel "The Lord of the Rings". She and Crusty enjoy using their new pond and have even been seen swimming for visitors!

WHITE-NAPED CRANE

White-Naped Crane
Antigone vipio

WATTLED CRANE

Wattled Crane
Grus carunculata

SARUS CRANE

Sarus Crane
Antigone antigone

The two adult cranes have two offspring. They only recently moved to the International Crane Foundation and weren't quite as habituated to humans, so there was a giant screen to help give the cranes some privacy.

BLUE CRANE

Blue Crane
Grus paradisea

Harold (Male)
Harold hatched June 7, 2015, at the Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia. Indiana's Mesker Park Zoo was Harold's next home. In 2023, Harold made the journey to Wisconsin in the hopes that he and Periwinkle would become a pair. She is quite taken with Harold, and we hope they will be happy for many years to come.

Periwinkle (Female)
Periwinkle hatched February 28, 2011, at Zoo Miami in Florida where she was hand reared. She joined our flock in April of 2012. Periwinkle and Harold liked each other immediately and began nest building and egg laying very early in their relationship.

Although Harold and Periwinkle have struggled with infertility, they have fostered and raised a sandhill crane chick named Calpyso (after their infertile egg was swapped out).

BLACK CROWNED CRANE

Black Crowned Crane
Balearica pavonina

GREY CROWNED CRANE

Grey Crowned Crane
Balearica regulorum

RED-CROWNED CRANE

Red-Crowned Crane
Grus japonensis

Tumuji (Male)
Tumuji hatched April 5, 2015, at the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Texas and joined our family in 2017. Red-crowned Cranes are often described as beautiful and Tumuji is particularly handsome. He loves treats, especially peanuts. He has been known to steal Toulula's treats if he gets the chance!

Toulula (Female)
Toulula hatched on June 2, 2022 at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Virginia. She and Tumuji were introduced in the fall of 2023 and immediately liked each other. Though she has a more shy and nervous personality, Tumuji is helping Toulula get used to her new home and come out of her shell.

BROLGA

This is the only crane native to Australia.

Brolga
Antigone rubicunda

WHOOPING CRANE

Whooping Crane
Grus americana

PLANTS

Although there were lots of signs for various flowers, the vast majority of them were NOT in season. There was an awful lot of yellow flowers but that's about it.

Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa

Single stems are stout, erect, smooth, and reddish. Leaves alternate, thick, smooth, and elliptical. Bright yellow-gold flower heads grow in dense club-shaped terminal clusters.

Height: 1'-5'
Bloom: July - September

Makarejuserec
Meaning: Medicine Root Long

This is the best known blood purifier to the Ho-Chunk. It was also used to treat incontinence.

Here is some scenic native habitat in the surrounding area:

ART

Bill's Cranes

Bill Sullivan served on our Board of Directors from 1987 to 1998. He was a true friend to the cranes and a loyal supporter of the work we do to ensure that these beautiful birds always fly free.

These sculptures symbolize a single Whooping Crane taking flight.

Hippo statue with Africa mural:

Homecoming

Don Rambadt

Mural of Sandhill Crane Migration at the Platte River in Nebraska, 1995

Victor Bakhtin
1951 - 2016

The Call of the Crane
Mixed media, high-fire stoneware clay tiles, marine grade plywood, mild steel, and exterior grout

Melanie Tallmadge Sainz (Ho-Chunk), Damian Valiance Vasquez (Ho-Chunk), Felix Sainz, Jr., Little Eagle Arts Foundation

In the spring, the cranes arrive home to Wisconsin, the homeland of the Ho-Chunk people. Upon their arrival, they call out, signifying that the people should get their seeds and soil prepared for the upcoming growing season. As the warm summer days turn to the colder season of fall, the cranes prepare for their migration south, and they call out again. They remind the people to gather their black ash baskets for the corn and squash harvest time.

The Ho-Chunk and other Native peoples of the Great Lakes hold a special relationship with the Sandhill Cranes. This mixed-media piece depicts a story told by a Ho-Chunk elder that describes the crane's migration and our shared connection to the natural world.

Prayer Wheels

Buddhist prayer wheels are found in India, Nepal, Bhutan, and other countries. For many Buddhists, spinning a prayer wheel has a similar effecdt as a spoken prayer.

Cranes and Spiritual Beliefs

Cranes are revered in both Buddhist and Hindu traditions. One story tells of Prince Siddhartha, who later became the Buddha, rescuing a wounded Sarus Crane and nursing the bird back to health.