After two days on the run, Cougar Mountain Zoo staff may be close to catching a rare crowned crane that escaped.
The zoo says the crane, named Alice, was spotted Friday afternoon in a neighborhood near the Lake Sammamish State Park Boat Launch.
“She is a roosting bird, so she will go up high in trees. But we have noticed that she will stay on the ground a lot, and we’re hoping that she is avoiding traffic,” said Jordan Veasley, Marketing & Education Specialist for the Cougar Mountain Zoo.
The juvenile East African crowned crane escaped her enclosure on Wednesday.
With her yellow crown of feathers, Alice is already popular on social media.
“Alice is a local celebrity and I’ve been dying to see her because I live not too far from here. And I’ve been really hoping I have an encounter with Alice,” said Sammamish resident Martin Halverson.
The zoo has not said how the crane escaped or whether any other animals were involved, but the incident appears to be isolated.
Veasley says she’s been spotted trying to make friends in the wild.
“She was hanging out around some herons and kind of tried to integrate, and the herons were leaving. They didn’t want any part of her because she’s not one of them,” he said.
There have been several reported sightings over the last few days of the crane near the park.
“It’s a really beautiful area, but this is not her environment. This is not what she is used to. So she is shy. She is confused. She definitely is a little scared. So this is something completely out of the norm for her,” Veasley added.
He says the community has been a big help in the search so far.
“I’ve been looking for her. I definitely keep an eye out more frequently to see if I can find her,” Halverson said.
With a busy holiday weekend ahead, they’re hoping to find her soon.
“Out there, what she’s more at risk of is predators and car traffic. That’s what we’re mostly fearing.”
If you see the bird, do not approach her. Instead, call the zoo at (206) 641-1554.
MISSING CRANE UPDATE (2pm 5/23/25): She was spotted at a home near Peregrine Point, just north of Lake Sammamish State...
Posted by Cougar Mountain Zoo on Friday, May 23, 2025
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