| ICF is saddened to report on the fatal shooting of a Whooping Crane in South Dakota. The migrating adult crane was from the Aransas/Wood Buffalo population and was traveling with two Whooping Cranes when it was shot with a rifle while standing in a corn field. Law enforcement officers with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) and the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks are investigating the shooting which took place on April 20, 2012, along 354th Avenue, approximately 17 miles southwest of Miller, South Dakota. A reward has been offered by FWS for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual(s) responsible for the shooting. An additional $10,000 reward is being offered by the Whooping Crane Conservation Association. Anyone with information should call the “Turn in a Poacher” 24-hour hotline at: 888-OVERBAG (888-683-7224), or the FWS at: 605-224-9045. Callers can remain anonymous. Click here for more information, or to make a donation to the reward fund. At least nine other Whooping Cranes have been fatally shot during the past two years–seven in the reintroduced eastern migratory population and two in the non-migratory Louisiana population. To address this continued threat, ICF and our partners are expanding our educational outreach to students, hunters and the general public across the Whooping Cranes’ range. Our goal is to increase awareness, understanding and appreciation for these natural treasures. Learn more about ICF’s ongoing conservation efforts for these birds. Share this video with your friends and help us spread the word that disturbing, harassing or killing Whooping Cranes is a crime. |   Follow our Whooping Crane Updates on our website and on Facebook.
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