Endangered Whooping Cranes Killed in Oklahoma Results in Confiscated Shotguns, $68000 Fines

Four hunters in Oklahoma were fined $68,000 and had their firearms seized for killing four endangered whooping cranes.

Four Endangered Whooping Cranes Killed, Four Hunters Fined

According to US Attorney Robert J. Troester, four individuals from Oklahoma were sentenced this week to pay $68,000 in reparations for illegally killing four whooping cranes covered by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

On August 22, a charge of taking a migratory bird without a license was brought against Joseph M. Roman, Justin M. Wine, Chanod M. Campbell, and Brian Lee Gollihare Jr.

The four defendants killed four whooping cranes while hunting at Tom Steed Reservoir in southwest Oklahoma on or around November 5, 2021, according to evidence given in court.

They then tried to bury the dead birds before fleeing the area.

Endangered Whooping Cranes

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects whooping cranes since they are migratory birds.

The whooping crane is one of the rarest and most endangered birds in North America, according to the US Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS).

According to an FWS study dated May 2023, there are just about 600 whooping cranes left in the wild.

All four defendants entered guilty pleas, and this week, at sentencing proceedings, US Magistrate Judge Amanda Maxfield Green mandated that each defendant pay $750 in fees as well as $17,000 in restitution to the International Crane Foundation.

Additionally, the defendants were each forced to surrender their shotguns, and they will no longer be allowed to hunt in all 50 states for the ensuing five years.

According to US Attorney Robert Troester, everyone must safeguard threatened and endangered species of animals and plants for the sake of present and future generations.

According to Troester, his office supports and applauds the efforts made by colleagues in federal and state law enforcement, and he believes that this case will serve as a deterrent to anyone who would harm endangered species.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement is dedicated to conducting investigations into criminal activity with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to ensure the survival of endangered species like the whooping crane, according to Edward Grace, the US Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement Assistant Director.

Troester also said that the results of this case are the product of the Office of Law Enforcement's and the ODWC partners' active investigation efforts to hold wildlife violators accountable.

Tips from the Public and Collaborating Government Agencies

State and federal authorities collaborated closely throughout the investigation, according to Law Enforcement Chief Nathan Erdman, from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

The exceptional ODWC Game Wardens worked tirelessly to follow up on leads and gather the crucial evidence that produced this result.

Rest assured, according to Erdman, that comprehensive investigations like this one together with public tips will lead to the capture of those violating Oklahoma's wildlife laws.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation looked into this matter, with Charles Brown, an assistant US attorney, handling the prosecution.