About Gandalf

Name

Gandalf (Female)

Age

Gandalf came to Zoo Idaho in 2009. As of 2025, she is at least 16 years old. She was an adult when she came to the zoo, so her exact age is not known.

Size

Gandalf is 9–11 pounds, which is similar to an average house cat, but she is 3-feet tall.

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Gandalf's Rescue Story

Idaho Fish and Game brought Gandalf to Zoo Idaho in 2009 because she was approaching people in a park. That is usually a sign that an animal has been cared for by humans and cannot survive alone in the wild.

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Fun Facts About Gandalf

Favorite Activities

  • Gandalf likes to take fresh deep water baths. She does a happy wiggle in the water to show she loves it!
  • She loves having the hose spray shower over her enclosure.

Fun Facts

  • Gandalf escaped to the baseball field just outside of the zoo. She was quickly brought home by the keepers! She has a metal band to identify her.
  • She likes to do a mating dance when her keeper is near. Sometimes the keeper will dance, too!
  • Vets and keepers can tell the gender of a crane by their blood and feathers. For more than 10 years, Gandalf was thought to be male. However, during a bad bird disease season, Gandalf was kept inside the zoo buildings. She was so comfortable, she laid her first known egg.
  • Cranes mate for life.
  • Cranes can live until they are 30 years old.

Training Behaviors

  • Gandalf can "station" where she goes to a specific location. Her station is a cutting board, so it can be moved to a scale to get her weight.
  • She is working on "target," which is placing part of her body on a squeeze ball on a stick.
  • She does not like enrichment very much, and it stresses her.
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Gandalf's Diet

Regular Foods

Gandalf eats crane formula grain, dried mealworms, and silver side fish.

Favorite Foods

She is a picky eater and likes pinky mice the most.

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How to See Gandalf

Gandalf is out in her exhibit at all times. She often comes out when keepers are working near her enclosure.

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