I know nothing about crested cranes, so feel free to enlighten me if you have time to check out wikipedia. What I DO know is that this particular crested crane doesn't like strangers and will crow at people. I also know that at one point it was legal to domesticate crested cranes and keep them as pets here, but it isn't any longer. Of course, if you obtained a crested crane while it was legal to do so, you're permitted to keep it now...you just can't get any more. Unfortunately for Umasambe, he could really use a friend, so the law is somewhat inconvenient.
The name "Umasambe" actually means "crested crane" in Kinyarwandan, the national language of Rwanda. So, it's kind of like naming your dog, "Dog." (Except for Umasambe sounds cooler.) Umasambe will eat bread from your hand if he trusts you, but he does have a pretty sharp beak, so you have to watch your hand. He's about four feet tall, good-sized.
Stay tuned for further Rwandan wildlife updates...
2 comments:
Hi Christine,
Wikipedia says that the Crested Crane is actually a Grey Crested Crane. It's the national bird of Uganda and is on the Ugandan flag. I've heard that bird and know why it's called a "watch bird."
Beautiful! I love the idea of having a watch-bird. :)
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