Two Endangered Whooping Cranes Found Shot, One Dead

Two endangered whooping cranes were found shot in Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana, last Friday morning.

"The whooping cranes were found and recovered near the corner of Compton Road and Radio Tower Road just north of Roanoke about five miles north of Interstate 10. Agents found a shot and killed female whooping crane and a shot and injured male whooping crane," according to a statement issued by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF).

The shootings counteract efforts to revive the species, which, according to the US Fish & Wildlife Service, had a population of 15 in 1941. The total population as of July, 2010, was 535. 

The male, according to X-rays taken at Lousiana State University, suffered two bone fractures on a wing. He was scheduled to undergo surgery Sunday morning, reported the LA Times.

Agents believe that bird shot was used to kill the female and injure the male's wing on Feb. 6.

"Anytime we lose one of these cranes it sets us back in our efforts to restore the whooping crane population back to its historic levels in Louisiana," said LDWF Secretary Robert Barham.  "These were once native birds to Louisiana and the department would like to see these cranes thrive again in the future with a sustainable population."

These shootings are the most recent of 19 intentional killings of the endangered birds since 2001 in Kentucky and Louisiana, reported the LA Times. According to Operation Migration, conservationists release an average of 13 cranes into the wild each year.

"The two were the oldest pair among 33 whooping cranes in Louisiana. The birds, which had been tagged and were monitored by Louisiana officials, were expected to produce a chick in a few years," reported the LA Times.

The whooping crane is North America's tallest bird, and with snow white feathers, it's easy to distinguish, making "accidental shootings" unlikely.

"It's a devastating setback and such a senseless act," said Robert Love, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries administrator, as reported by the LA Times. "Don't shoot big white birds. It's that simple."