Rfalconcam Forum

The punishment doesn’t seem to fit the crime for two individuals who pleaded guilty to the 2009 shooting of an endangered whooping crane in Indiana at the end of March.

Wade Bennett, 18, of Cayuga, and an unnamed minor each received a year of probation, $550 in legal costs and a $1 fine for the crime. One dollar.

Apparently the boys were out on a killing spree and managed to slaughter one of fewer than 400 whooping cranes left in the wild.

"They would drive around shooting whatever (animals) they saw, kind of like target practice. They had been squirrel hunting, and then they came upon a large white bird and just shot it," said Special Agent Buddy Shapp of the Fish and Wildlife Service.

The minor, who pulled the trigger, was charged with unlawful take of an endangered species, while Bennett was charged with providing false information, according to Bird Watch Daily.

A reward was offered for information about the shooting, which lead to a tip about the boys. Neither of them are being charged with federal crimes, including violations of the Endangered Species Act and Migratory Bird Act, because there was a minor involved, even though that is not standard practice.

Sadly, the crane who was shot was with her mate, who was not killed. She was also the mother of the first chick to be hatched and successfully raised in the wild by cranes who had been raised in captivity.

These particular cranes were hand-raised at the USGS Patuxtent Wildlife Research Center as part of Operation Migration, which strives to reintroduce whooping cranes and other birds in the east.

Baby cranes are reared by humans wearing costumes and using hand-puppets to teach them the skills they'll need to survive in the wild. They are also taught how to fly by someone in an ultralight aircraft, which they will follow as they learn their migration route from Wisconsin to Florida (see photos).

To kill one of these beautiful and vulnerable birds is appalling. To give a fine of $1 is outrageous. (Why bother!)  :(

Care2

I'm guessing that the government didn't want to trumatize the "boys".  Can't punish your own kids, criminals are first for heart transplants, a buck for this fits the current trend. 

 :(  Same old song! Nobody learns their lesson because there are basically no consequences for actions. Undoubtedly these 2 "boys" will continue to go on killing sprees unless they get reprimanded by someone with half a brain.  :nono: :grumble:

  :viking: This makes me totally angry. How are these brats going to learn if there is no repercussions for wrong doing? Please $1 that is an insult to anyone who cares for these birds. Why not just make them stand in the corner and go to bed without supper? actually that would be a stronger punishment than a dollar geeze. At the very least they needed to loose their guns and the right to hunt for years, if not forever. Community service (I don't mean cake walk stuff either) physical -I am going to remember this and never do it again- labor. They need to figure out the price of hand rearing (food, human labor) leading it on its first migration (fuel, ultra light, human) add it all up and that is their fine (not a freaking dollar.)

since they are just "boys" I won't bobitize them....yet

Well said BC!!

Some better news! This crane's female offspring, W1-06, hatched a chick of her own yesterday! Let's pray it survives to fledge and migrate, as well.

Thank you for the good news, for once!!  :clap: