However, even when two eggs are laid, only one chick is reared and the second egg is abandoned. This phenomenon allows for the collection of abandoned eggs, as this has no known detrimental effect on the productivity of the wild population. Aerial surveys are conducted in KwaZulu-Natal to locate Wattled crane nests and a fieldworker from the South African Crane Working Group monitors the nests throughout the breeding season. Abandoned eggs are collected and transported to a local breeding facility for hatching. At two days of age, the hatchlings are flown to Johannesburg Zoo where they are costume-reared. Once fledged, the cohort is relocated with one of the ten participating institutions. Adults are paired at approximately two years of age. Once a target population of 40 captive adults has been reached, offspring of the captive population will be used to supplement the wild population via release into existing floater flocks.

Feasibility trials were conducted between 1995 and 2000, during which a total of 13 Wattled cranes were released into the wild Wattled crane floater flocks. Costume-rearing and gentle release into floater flocks, has proven successful with the Mississippi Sandhill crane (Grus canadensis pulla) in North America (Urbanek, 1994). Currently five of the released birds are still living. Post-release mortalities have included power line collisions, poisoning and natural predation by caracal. Much experience was gained from these trials, including the refinement of the release technique as well as identification of suitable release sites.

CONCLUSION:

Given the results a recent genetic diversity study which suggest that the South African Wattled Crane is in fact genetically unique from all other Wattled Cranes in Africa (Jones, et al., 2006), the success of a captive breeding program is ever more urgent to prevent local extinction of this species. This coupled with the fact that Wattled cranes have the lowest reproductive success of all the crane species, makes the Wattled Crane Recovery Programme one of South Africa’s most crucial and challenging conservation projects. With the backing of the Johannesburg Zoo and the technical support from national and international affiliates, this project is set to expand dramatically over the next 5 years.