I am the last Crane
to visit Iran
All those miles I have travelled
For I have a fan
Lone Wolf/ Mary An
Well actually
Who appreciate life
who appreciate meWe Cranes, have traversed
skies, and wintered away
In India and now Iran
The future is bleak
For the Hunters do wreak
Such losses that none of us can
Survive we are being shot
out of the sky
We haven’t a chance
to be free
I am the last Crane
to visit Iran
and it seems that
this just has to beMallards are slaughtered
their throats slit poor souls
Humans are murderers
lacking controls
The Biosphere suffers
intolerably
From gun toting cowards
Who believe they can beOut in the open
doing their thing
Killing and maiming
its something they bring
To our world, once so free
a hellish desire
To give us wild children
Their brimstone and fire
to visit Iran
All those miles I have travelled
For I have a fan
Lone Wolf/ Mary An
Well actually
Who appreciate life
who appreciate meWe Cranes, have traversed
skies, and wintered away
In India and now Iran
The future is bleak
For the Hunters do wreak
Such losses that none of us can
Survive we are being shot
out of the sky
We haven’t a chance
to be free
I am the last Crane
to visit Iran
and it seems that
this just has to beMallards are slaughtered
their throats slit poor souls
Humans are murderers
lacking controls
The Biosphere suffers
intolerably
From gun toting cowards
Who believe they can beOut in the open
doing their thing
Killing and maiming
its something they bring
To our world, once so free
a hellish desire
To give us wild children
Their brimstone and fire
Now look at me, on my own
That’s my lot
My mate killed last year
Yea, a barrel of shot
Smashed her to smithereens
Splat! she no more
Snuffed out a lost soul
But what was it for
We were the last pair
but I reminisce
She was so loving
Oh! how I miss
The warmth that
she showed me
The true love and care
That these days
as far as Cranes go
is so rare.
Rex Tyler is a Poet, Campaigner, former owner of an organic shop of 30 years, and Public Speaker living in Berkhamsted, UK.
Though poetry, if this is to reflect the reality, your poem somewhat does a disservice to the efforts of conservation in Iran. Hunters in Iran have not been responsible for the loss of Siberian Cranes – indeed it is hunters that are protective of this lst Crane, as have they over the decling population that has wintered there over the last decade and more.
Also “My mate killed last year. Yea, a barrel of shot smashed her to smithereens. Splat! she no more” – this lone bird did not have a partner last year, nor the year before that, or year before that. Furthermore, there is no indication that the bird’s partner was shot when she disappeared. As far as I know, Iranian hunters have never targeted this species, certainly haven’t in recent history and have given full support to the efforts to try to conserve the species, including the attempts to reintroduce birds.
The documented hunting of this species, widely assumed to be part of the reason for the decline, was of birds migrating over Afghanistan.
I appreciate this is just a poem and that it is designed to highlight through ‘shock’, but heavily suggests those responsible are in Iran. A little credit where credit is due, as said they have been trying to protect the species.
PS will be in Iran next week for related travels, that is how I stumbled across this website
Thank you Jos sometimes reality and conservation are not as one.This was a story about the last bird to visit Iran, the conservation damned it seems by continual huntiing and man’s appetite for habitat that belongs to others.Conservation is a wonderful word and means so much but sadly the planet’s people don’t always value it as you and I seem to. Thanks for your time and trouble I so apprec iate it.
PS. “I am Ranec, a crane from Yakutia”
Iranian conservationists have named this last bird ‘Omid’, translates to ‘Hope’
Mr. Stratford
I don’t know how & where did you get these information about wildlife, hunting & conservation in Iran!!
As an Iranian Conservationist have to mention some facts for you, maybe you’ve never heard about them; the wildlife here are encountered horrible threats which drives them to extinction & we’ve lost many of our unique species in the world, til now…
These threats includes water, soil & air contamination, habitat destruction & extra ordinary high-rated OVER HUNTING!… There is not such a story that hunters help conservation here!…Hunters (Yes I mean HUNTERS + poachers!) shoot or trap or even poison every living creature, no matter what species, endangered or what,…
Oh yes, “Omid”(meaning Hope in Persian) was named by this title, becoz conservationists of department of environment, had a dream once to keep it from extinction in a project that introduced 2 man-raised cranes imported from Russia…But the project failed & there will be no “OMID” (hope!) any more : one of ’em never got back from Siberia the year after, & the other one GOT SHOT by the SAME HUNTERS you call ’em conservationists, 2 years ago!
Even few weeks ago (November 2011) some local hunter tried to shoot “Ranec” in Fereydounkenar , the ancient wintering area in which Siberian cranes used to migrate every fall.
Local use some HUGE inhumane traps they call “Daam Gaah” (Trap Area) that trap, torture & slaughter hundreds of thousands of water fowls & Waders including endangered species like ferruginous duck, tufted duck, red-breasted goose(nearly extincted here now!) , …. & many species which are unwanted but tortured to death in local markets. You may even find other wildlife got trapped in their all-over-area nets like birds of prey, owls, herons & bitterns… & even mammals sometimes (several times reported from local market of Fereydounkenar including a Jungle Cat!)
So you have to consider my dear brother Rex Tyler’s poem as an obvious reflection of truth here.
Thank you Dear lone more facts for me to work on. My poem was really written to try an highlight the importance of one bird left the importance of protecting all species whereever they are never hunting them for sport. Poetry leads to talking and talking to thinking and this can only be better for all the earthlings
Going through these kind of pages I find that many do not answer the questions they ask, this page actually does… thanks for this.
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