Crane on the Rubbish Heap: The Challenges of Continuing Conservation

The red-crowned crane has breeding grounds in southeastern Siberia, northeast China, and the Kushiro and Nemuro regions of Hokkaidō. The continental cranes winter on the Korean peninsula and in eastern China, but those in Hokkaidō stay there year-round. Designated a Special Natural Monument. (Illustration by Izuka Tsuyoshi)

A white-tailed eagle in the feeding grounds for red-crowned cranes.

Cranes today are seeking sustenance in places outside the natural environment, such as this farm rubbish heap. (© Nippon.com)