The Center for Biological Diversity today 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 the 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 Jan. 9 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 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 crash to just 15 birds, and the Louisiana population went extinct. After being listed as endangered, whooping cranes have made a comeback. Today there are more than 600 whooping cranes 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 28 years in the wild, and mating pairs remain bonded for life. Whooping cranes only occur in North America and are the world’s rarest crane species. Around 85 whooping cranes remain in Louisiana.
Anyone with information about the shooting of the whooping crane 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.
