Migratory cranes face numerous threats during their long-distance journeys, and conservation efforts seek to reduce mortality and suffering along flyways.
Cranes that survive migration injuries may experience prolonged suffering from lead toxicosis, collision injuries, or entanglement. Lead poisoning causes neurological deterioration and an agonising decline. Power line marking programmes and phasing out lead ammunition are direct welfare interventions. Maintaining adequate stopover habitat reduces energetic stress and starvation risk during migration.