After decades of habitat loss, hunting, and DDT use crippled the population, the Bald Eagle became one of the first animals on the endangered species list in the 1970’s. So the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation stepped in: Over the course of four years, caretakers from the NYSDEC played featherless surrogates to help the birds rebound. While they didn’t have to don wingsuits or sit on eggs, the caretakers did have to stealthily feed 23 eaglets without corrupting the birds’ independence. The eaglets were housed in a two-story hacking tower—a contraption that allows caretakers to feed and observe the baby birds without being seen. Read all about that program and its success here.