The African Crane Conservation Programme, this year, showcased the work we have been doing in the Southern Drakensberg at the Underberg Farmers Association agricultural show held at the beginning of October.

The Southern Drakensberg is the stronghold for Wattled Cranes in South Africa, and houses populations of Grey Crowned and Blue Cranes too – literally Crane central!

Creating awareness about cranes, the importance of wetlands, highlighting the role of communities,  educating children and meeting and speaking to farmers were our main goals, something we achieved over and over.

When we arrived on Friday and set up our stand in freezing cold, rainy weather, we dreaded what the rest of the weekend was going to be like.  Joking that we were going to have to buy a braai to keep it lit in the middle of our stand to keep us warm, we woke up on Saturday and Sunday to the most beautiful, sunny weather.

We were visited by lots of old friends and farmers, and met a lot of new farmers who will soon become old friends too.

The outcome was amazing and exactly what I had hoped for.

My colleagues Samson Phakathi and Lindo Mgwaba were in charge of setting up a wetland scene that included our trusty taxidermised Wattled Crane and Oribi (all with the correct permits, of course)  firmly planted amongst some wetland grasses – yes, they actually went to a wetland and dug up some grasses.  It looked amazing and attracted lots of eager children who couldn’t believe how big and soft a Wattled Crane is.

I also had our wooden cranes set up so people could see exactly what the wingspans and heights of the three crane species are. This made a huge impact on show attendees, many of whom joined me in appreciating how majestic, stately and huge these birds are.

Obviously, being at an agricultural show surrounded by farmers, we wanted to give them a practical and useful gift to take away with them.   The farmer in Pieter Botha kicked in, and he came up with the brilliant idea to have keyrings made from cattle ear tags! My daughter drew a picture of the three crane species, which we had lasered into one side.  The other carries the logos of the Endangered Wildlife Trust and the International Crane Foundation in celebration of our more than 30-year partnership.

A chance to win a beautiful blue crane canvas, candy floss and stunning Wattled Crane zoo biscuits enabled us to collect the details and information of about 60 farmers (and their children) on the cranes they have on their farms.

What a successful weekend of friendship, networking, socialising and creating awareness!