Devastating Loss, February 2, 2007
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Whooper
Reintroduction Updates
Current Trip:
Winter 2007: Monitoring the
Whooping Cranes
Entry February 2
Devastating Loss,
February 2, 2007
We regretfully announces the loss of the 18 juvenile whooping cranes at
the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge. The cranes died as a
result of the storms that swept through central Florida during the
evening and early morning of February 1 and 2. It was the
second-deadliest combination of thunderstorms and tornados in Florida
history.
We
are in the initial stages of determining the cause of death of the 18
whooping cranes, which comprised the ultralight-led “Class of
2006” and
arrived at the Chassahowitzka NWR in mid January. Following standard
protocol, WCEP personnel checked on the cranes the evening of February
1. Due to the magnitude of the storm and the location of the pensite,
personnel were unable to safely check on the cranes until this
afternoon, at which time the birds were discovered dead in their
enclosure.
While this is a setback for the whooping crane
reintroduction project, WCEP has faced challenges in the past and we
plan to move forward with our effort to return this highly imperiled
species to its historic range in eastern North America.
“My
heart is aching both for the young birds we lost and for the dedicated
people who devote so much of themselves to this project, only to see
the cranes’ lives end in this devastating manner. These birds
were the
start of a new generation of life for the species, but we will recover
and continue our work,” said John Christian, co-chair of the
Whooping
Crane Eastern Partnership.
Our thoughts are with the people of central Florida affected by this
tragic disaster.
Whooping
Crane Eastern Partnership founding members are the International Crane
Foundation, Operation Migration Inc., Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological
Survey’s
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and National Wildlife Health Center,
the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Natural Resources
Foundation of Wisconsin, and the International Whooping Crane Recovery
Team.
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