Reward grows in search for whooping crane shooter

[Donna]

In October, 11 of the extremely endangered birds were released into the Wisconsin countryside in October to begin their 1,000-mile migration to Florida. One of them was promptly eaten.

“Probably a bobcat,� U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman Tom MacKenzie said.

But that misadventure is nothing compared to the death of three more birds in Calhoun County last month. Dan Forster, wildlife resources director for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, said a local landowner in the southwest Georgia county contacted his office after the birds were discovered on his property shot to death.

The cranes were part of a wild population of just 420 in the nation, he told DNR board members in a briefing Wednesday.

State and federal agencies set up a reward fund for information leading to the arrest of the shooter. With contributions from several wildlife groups, the fund has grown to $20,800. But Forster said they have few leads.

Board member William Archer said the shooting deaths are a threat to the survival of the cranes.

“If somebody in a board killed three right whales off the coast, it would receive a lot more attention,� he said. “It’s a reflection on our state, like it or not, and I think it is a case where we need to overreact, not underreact.�

The board passed a resolution this week supporting the continued investigation, with several board members contributing to the reward fund personally.

“We hope the additional funds will entice someone to come forth with new information that will help solve the case," said Philip Wat, chair of the board's wildlife resources committee. "We are proud to be able to show our support in this way.�

Operation Migration, a nonprofit group based in Ontario, Canada, that guides migrating cranes using ultralight aircraft, contributed $1,000 to the reward fund. CEO Joseph Duff said the shooting of the birds is outrageous.

“It’s unfortunate that there are people there who just want to kill something. They certainly aren’t hunters,� he said.

MacKenzie, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman, said the birds that were killed were making their first flight south, following older cranes who knew the way.

“These birds were doing exactly what they needed to do and were just snuffed out," he said.

Forster said investigators are working the case, but there are no real leads and little chance that the culprit will be found without someone coming forward.

Duff said he is not giving up hope. It may take awhile, but he thinks the shooter will be caught.

“Once the publicity is over and things die down, somebody will brag," he said. "That’s when these cases break.�

MacKenzie said federal charges could be brought through the Migratory Bird Treaty Act or possibly the Endangered Species Act. Depending on the charge, a conviction could bring up to a year in federal prison and fines between $15,000 and $50,000 per bird.

He also said the death of the birds is a tragedy, but the reintroduction program has been a success, raising the eastern U.S. population of wild birds from zero a decade ago to about 100 today.

[MAK]