. . We believe that the best chance of the whooping 

 crane's survival in the wild is through their production 

 of young in the wild . . . We are for keeping the wild 

 and captive supplies separate. 



JOHN H. BAKER * 



VIII ;; Rusty 



For centuries, in various parts of the world, cranes of many 

 different species have been kept in captivity in zoological gardens, 

 private aviaries, and on the grounds of expensive and well-mani- 

 cured estates. They are gentle, handsome, and highly decorative. 

 Compared with many other birds they adapt themselves to such 

 an existence quite well. A number of species of cranes breed suc- 

 cessfully in captivity, notably the gigantic saras crane from India, 

 the common crane of Eurasia, the white-necked crane of Mongolia 

 and Manchuria, the demoiselle crane of Eurasia and North 

 Africa, and our own sandhill crane. Although there have been a 

 good many whooping cranes held in a captive state through the 

 years, none had ever nested successfully. When the Whooping 

 Crane Project was getting under way in 1945, it was learned that 

 there were two injured birds of this rare species in captivity, one 

 in a private enclosure in Nebraska and another in the New Orleans 

 * Audubon Magazine (1956). 



119 



