The KwaZulu-Natal Crane Foundation (KZNCF) and the Lions Bush Conservancy proudly invite you to support conservation in the Midlands through your attendance at In ART Gallery's Spirit of the Crane Art Exhibition in Nottingham Road, 12 – 22 September 2013.
The exhibit opening will be held Thursday, 12 September at the In ART Gallery; 16h30 for 17h00. Your R50 entry ticket allows you to mingle with the artists, enjoy a beverage, hear spirited crane lore from around the world and bid upon and purchase art that benefits crane conservation. Your ticket also gives you a chance at winning a piece of original artwork. Tickets can be purchased in Nottingham Road at Barbz Café, Gowrie Village (033 266 6773), or the In ART Gallery (083 253 7297). The In ART Gallery is open Monday – Saturday, 09h30 – 15h30 and Sunday, 09h30 – 12h00.
Hilary Grant Curie, Owner and Curator of In ART Gallery, said, "When my husband and I first moved to Nottingham Road to establish our businesses, I heard about the work of the KZNCF and their efforts to build a Nursery to rear endangered Wattled Crane chicks. After visiting their nature reserve and the Hlatikulu Crane and Wetland Sanctuary, I reconnected with these magnificent birds. I can remember flocks of Blue Cranes sharing the veld with my father's cattle. It was a common sight and annual occurrence.... It saddens me that this is something my own children will likely never experience."
The KZNCF is currently constructing a Nursery to rear critically endangered Wattled Crane chicks for release into the wild in an effort to bolster South Africa's remaining wild flock of 260 individuals. For the past 30 years, conservationists in North America have successfully released human-reared cranes into the wild using a technique called "isolation" or "costume-rearing. This technique, consisting of human caretakers dressed in costumes and puppets will be used to encourage young cranes to obtain skills necessary for survival in the wild. The Nursery will include a hatcher room, veterinary facility, chick house and exercise domes. It is situated on the Bill Barnes Crane and Oribi Nature Reserve in Nottingham Road which the KZNCF owns and manages collaboratively with EKZN Wildlife. The KZNCF expects to receive its first chicks in 2014. Proceeds from the Spirit of the Crane Art Exhibition will go towards the completion of the Nursery.
The KZNCF is a non-profit conservation organization established in 1989 to address the threats facing South Africa's three crane species - the Blue, Wattled and Southern African Grey Crowned Cranes. The foundation is successfully fostering awareness of cranes and their dependence upon wetlands and grasslands through educational outreach and conservation stewardship. To learn more, visit: www.kzncrane.co.za