$15,000 Reward Offered For Information On The Illegal Shooting Of An Endangered Whooping Crane In Louisiana

Yesterday, The Center for Biological Diversity increased the total reward to $15,000 for information leading to a conviction in the illegal killing of a whooping crane in Mamou, Louisiana.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a $5,000 reward last week, and the Center is boosting that amount by $10,000.

“I’m grieving the senseless and illegal killing of this majestic bird, and the perpetrator has to be brought to justice,” said Will Harlan, a senior scientist at the Center. “This cowardly act against a critically endangered and beloved bird can’t go unpunished. I hope someone does the right thing and steps forward with information.”

The juvenile whooping crane was found dead on January 9th beside an agricultural pond near Besi Lane in Mamou, a town in Evangeline Parish in south-central Louisiana. The Service conducted an autopsy and determined that the bird was shot.

The whooping crane is an endangered species that’s protected under both the Endangered Species Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Historically, tens of thousands of whooping cranes once populated North America, but habitat loss and shootings caused their population to plummet to just 15 birds. This drastic decline sadly caused the Louisiana population to go extinct. After being listed as endangered, whooping cranes have made a comeback. Today, there are more than 600 individuals in Texas, Louisiana, and Florida.

The whooping crane is North America’s tallest bird. Males stand nearly 5 feet tall, with a wingspan of 7 feet. Their 5-foot-long coiled trachea allows the birds to give a loud single-note call, which is likely the origin of their name. Whooping cranes can live up to 28 years in the wild, and mating pairs remain bonded for life. These rare birds only live in North America and are the world’s rarest crane species.

Anyone with information about the shooting of the endangered whooping crane in Louisiana should contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at (985) 882-3756 or the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Lake Charles Office at (337) 491-2588.