Two Whooping Cranes Shot In Louisiana – UDPATE

Endangered Whooping Cranes Shooting Update

A male and female whooping crane were recently shot in a southwestern area of Louisiana. The pair of cranes were building a practice nest when the shooting incident occurred. State wildlife officials found the female dead and the male sustaining severe injuries.

The two birds were still too young to produce eggs, but young whooping cranes like to build “mating” nests for practice. Robert Love, an official from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries recently told the Associated Press, “They were some of our older birds and our best chance for having a more successful nest this year”.

These cranes are a species well-known on the endangered list and have a very distinctive look; it‘s also hailed as the tallest bird in North America. There are only two species of cranes in North America, and the whooping crane was declared endangered after hunting sprees have decimated the population to a small few.

The officials of the wildlife and fisheries are still investigating this incident and are offering a $1,000 reward for any information on anyone involved in the shooting. A total of 50 wild cranes are closely being monitored by the officials using radio transmitters.

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/3306/20140210/shooting-of-2-endangered-whooping-cranes-in-louisiana-enrages-wildlife-officials-prompts-probe.htm