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Last successful breeding whooping crane shot and killed

A reward of $2,500 is offered for information about bird shot in western Indiana.
By Katherine Butler
Fri, Dec 11 2009 at 10:42 PM EST
Read more: ANIMAL RESEARCH, BIRDS

Photo: Szatmar666/Flickr
 
A 7-year-old whooping crane known to be the only successful breeding female from the eastern migratory population was recently shot and killed in western Indiana, near the town of Cayuga in central Vermillion County.
 
The crane, along with her mate, was one of the only two adults in the eastern population of cranes to raise a chick and lead it to wintering grounds in Florida. This crane, known as 17-02, and her mate, 11-02, hatched two chicks in summer 2006 and one in summer 2009 at Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in central Wisconsin. Only one of the 2006 birds survived.
 
Eva Szyszkoski is the tracking field manager for the International Crane Foundation. Last November, Szyszkoski observed the two cranes at a marsh in Indiana during their southbound migration. On Dec. 1, 17-02 was observed missing. A ground tracker found the bird dead not far from a rural county road.
 
The future is grim for the remaining whooping cranes. As Szyszkoski writes, “Hopefully #11-02 will be able to find a new mate, but since we are still low on the female-to-male ratio, I don't know how soon that may be.”
 
Officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the International Crane Foundation have announced a minimum reward of $2,500 to the person or people who provide information leading to a conviction.
 
Anyone with information should call the Indiana Department of Natural Resources 24-hour hotline at (800) 847-4367 or the FWS at (317) 346-7016.


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Comments(6)

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Posted By Les Booth - Tue, Mar 09 2010 at 11:58 PM EST

Numbers, Hoosiers, Hunters and Ignorance

I am a native Hoosier. I grew up not far from the small community where this act of flagrant stupidity took place. As a hunter, outdoorsman, outdoor writer, photographer, educator and advocate for responsible conservation, this act of immeasurable imbecility infuriated me! And several of the comments made here have only added fuel to my flame.

1) No other word describes the Whooping Crane population better than FRAGILE.

A remnant population of 500 living members and only.... More

Posted By Gary - Tue, Dec 15 2009 at 4:55 PM EST

Outraged

This article makes me so sad and upset. I do not see the point in hunting. You kill animals and what do you do with it? It's a reckless hobby and I am so furious with this situation.

Posted By Dave Ingram - Tue, Dec 15 2009 at 4:42 PM EST

A Little Misleading Headline

While there is no question that the killing of an endangered species is unforgivable this article is a misleading and gives the impression that Whooping Cranes are now doomed.

With a little more research, using the same web site that has been used for a source for the article, you learn that according to the International Crane Foundation there are 200 cranes in the population: .... More

Posted By So Illustrative - Tue, Dec 15 2009 at 1:50 PM EST

5 percent of the people in the world

Are so deliberately unaware of anything other than their own desires and wants, that they consistently destroy things which 95% of the people on this planet would have preserved.
This 5%, as illustrated by actions of the idiot who shot a whooping crane just to watch it die, are the same sociopaths who sit in the CEO chairs of all the major US Wallstreet firms, and banks, and global corporations.
This time it was a hunter. Currently is is the drug lobby and insurance company executives.... More

Posted By sickened - Tue, Dec 15 2009 at 8:26 AM EST

Why I left Indiana

To many dumb ignorant clods. Know what you're shooting at when you point your gun or go home where you belong. It's idiots like this that give responsible hunters a bad name.

Posted By sherri - Sun, Dec 13 2009 at 8:16 PM EST

whooping crane killing

there can be no punishment great enough for the extermination of a species. May they burn in Hell for not knowing any better....

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