The nest disturbance had an interesting side effect, however. Recent studies have shown that by ensuring that the egg remaining in the clutch was alive, hatching success was actually increased. During 1975 - 1988, another experiment took place. 216 eggs were collected from Wood Buffalo National Park and shipped to Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Idaho and placed in the nests of greater sandhill cranes where they were raised by A foster-parents. This attempt has not lived up to expectations.
Work continues with the experimental introduction of cranes into Florida.
In 1996, the migratory population in Wood Buffalo consisted of 45 breeding pairs and 159 individuals and is the only wild self-supporting flock of whooping cranes. With continued cooperation at the field level, Canadian and American biologists are hopeful that their goal can be met. People working at captive-breeding facilities wear white clothing and masks and feed chicks with puppets so that the birds avoid imprinting on humans. Experimental work is being done in Ontario and Idaho to test the use of ultralight planes to help teach cranes to migrate. An informal network of enthusiasts throughout Canada and the U.S. report sightings each spring and fall along the migration route, helping officials keep track of crane numbers.