Tri-State Outdoor News

Call it reckless and senseless! Call it outrageous and despicable! Just how do you describe the irresponsible shooting of a whooping crane? Even more revolting is the fact that it happened here in Indiana.

News of the shooting first hit Operation Migration’s web site (www.operationmigration.org) on Dec. 3, 2009, the day whooping crane #217 was found dead in Vermillion County near the town of Cayuga by tracker Eva Szyskoski. Eva is Tracking Field Manager for the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCRP) and the International Crane Foundation (ICF). Vermillion County is a traditional migration stop for this crane and its mate, #211.

News of the death was quite saddening to say the least. When I was first alerted to the death and the fact that it had occurred in our neck of the woods, my first thought was, ‘Please let it be natural or a coyote kill.’ On Dec. 9 the dreaded news release came from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Whooping crane #217 died of a gunshot wound.

“This is likely the most important bird in the entire Eastern Migratory Population,” said Operation Migration CEO Joe Duff. “We are all saddened by the loss and troubled by the motive behind the act.” This particular crane and her mate were the only whooping cranes in the eastern Migratory Population who thus far have successfully reared young.

The shooting occurred sometime between Nov. 28, when trackers last recorded her, and Dec. 1, when her carcass was found. During an aerial search the male whooper was spotted but #217 was not visible. Her transmitter signal was tracked to a location a few miles away.

Was this most dreadful act committed by someone calling himself a hunter? It is not yet known, but soon after I heard the news, I telephoned a journalism colleague of mine, Dave Staver, who is also a birdwatcher and golfer extraordinaire, and this is what he had to say; “Crow, we have a saying in golf. ‘There are people who are golfers and people who play golf.’ Likewise, there are hunters and people who hunt. People who hunt are generally idiots with guns who like to shoot things, whereas hunters are people who respect the ethics and nuances of hunting. You’re a hunter and I’m a golfer.”

All whooping cranes are special, but #217 was really special. She and her mate were the parents of #W601, the first whooping crane born in the wild in more than a century. The three of them were dubbed The First Family. A second chick, W602, was also born to the pair, but was unfortunately predated in the late summer of 2006. At least predation is a more respectable death than being shot out of the sky by some idiot with a gun.

Maybe the killing was just an act of cruel, juvenile vandalism or perhaps a hunting mistake. But even if she had been mistaken for a mute swan (legal game in Indiana) and shot by someone hunting (I would suspect a duck or goose hunter), a mistake of this magnitude should never occur. I am outraged and ashamed that shooter might consider himself a hunter.

The odds of ever finding out what really happened are slim. Perhaps the $10,000 reward will entice someone to speak.  Indiana Department of Natural Resources conservation officers and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agents are conducting a joint investigation into the shooting. In addition to the Endangered Species Act, whooping cranes are protected by state laws and

The initial reward of $2,500, leading to information, arrest and conviction of the perpetrator, has grown to $10,000 and includes contributions from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Defenders of Wildlife (a national non-profit conservation organization), and the Indiana Turn in a Poacher or a Polluter Program, plus one anonymous contributor.

“To kill and abandon one of 500 remaining members of a species shows a lack of reverence for life and an absence of simple common sense,” said John Christian, FWS Assistant Regional Director for Migratory Birds. “It is inconceivable that someone would have such little regard for conservation.”

Sadly, this isn’t the only senseless and reckless setback the whooping crane reintroduction crew experienced last fall. On Nov. 20, 2009, unknown individuals broke into the airplane hanger at the Necedah, Wisconsin airport and did more than $30,000 damage to ultra-light aircraft and other equipment used to lead first year whooping cranes south for their first migration. Operation Migration is based out of the nearby Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. Since then, whooping crane lovers (also called ‘craniacs’) and various other groups have come together to make up for that loss through generous donations.

Some readers may not fully understand my appreciation for whooping cranes. Many of you will remember the large photo spread in April 2009 as seven of these birds made a stopover at the Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area. Indiana is in a rather unique position, geographically, when it comes to migrating whooping cranes – we’re in the heart of their migration route.

At the time this issue of the Tri-State Outdoor News went to press, there were still 28 whooping cranes in the Hoosier state including the counties of Knox, Greene, Vermillion and Vigo counties, the heart of this magazine’s circulation area. The Vermillion County bird is the widower of the crane that was shot. Gibson County is also a favorite area although no birds have been sighted there this fall. Many of the birds are repeat visitors.

Folks in eastern Illinois are also fortunate as Operation Migration is now leading birds south using an Illinois route. There were two cranes listed in Wayne County also as of this printing.

Bringing back endangered species such as the whooping crane, whose numbers had dwindled to as few as 15 in the 1940s, takes time and money, with most of the tab being picked up by generous corporate and individual donors. Each year, like so many other conservation projects, Operation Migration never knows if it will have the needed funds to cover their expenses. But thanks to these generous donors who sponsor migration miles, and more recently began contributing to the “Give a Whoop!” Fund for as little as $10 per whoop (see web site for more information), another year’s class of whooping cranes find their wings causing the population to grow.

Anyone with information of the shooting should call the Indiana DNR’s 24-hour hotline at 1-800-TIP IDNR (800-847-4367), or the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at 317346-7016. Callers can remain anonymous.

(The class of 2009 has 20 first year flyers, and at the time of this writing is in Franklin County Alabama, halfway through their journey south to Florida.)