[wisb] News of the shooting on whooper in Indiana

From: "Pat Fisher" <feather7@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2011 06:19:49 -0500
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ate:

April 19, 2011

Reporter:

Liz Condie


Subject:

WHOOPING CRANE SHOOTER SENTENCED

Location:

Main Office


The Midwest Region External Affairs Office of the United States Fish and
Wildlife Service (USFWS) issued a press release late yesterday titled,
"Citizen Tip Leads to Closure of Whooping Crane Shooting in Indiana."

The release included this photo taken by Steve Gifford of a Whooping crane
pair near the Patokah River National Wildlife Refuge in Indiana as they
migrated south.

A tip from a local citizen led to identifying the individual who shot female
Whooping crane #217 in Vermillion County, Indiana in 2009.

The crane killed by the shooter was the matriarch of the reintroduced
Eastern Migratory Population who, in 2006, with her mate #211, produced,
hatched and fledged the first wild, migratory Whooping crane chick
(Wild1-06) in the U.S. in more than a century.

Wade Bennett and a juvenile of Cayuga, IN pled guilty and were charged and
sentenced on March 30, 2011. Both received probation, and were assessed
fines and fees for their involvement in the shooting of the crane.

The press release read, "Law enforcement agents with the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources
investigated the shooting of the crane. The crane, last observed alive by an
International Crane Foundation (ICF) staff member on Saturday, Nov. 28,
2009, was found dead by an ICF volunteer found on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009, in
rural Vermillion County, Ind.

In early spring 2010, a citizen came forward with information concerning the
shooting of the crane. The citizen's information was valuable to
investigators during subsequent interviews of Bennett and the juvenile. Both
Bennett and the juvenile confessed to their involvement in the shooting of
the Whooping crane.

Observations reported by the public play a key role in solving wildlife
crime, according to USFWS Special Agent Buddy Shapp. "People who live in an
area notice details that can tell us a lot," Shapp said. "They sometimes see
something or hear something that strikes them as unusual but not necessarily
criminal. People might not realize that their observation is significant.

Whooping cranes face monumental challenges in the wild; mortality due to
predators and disease, and the threat of continued habitat loss. "The
senseless killing of a Whooping crane by a human hand is inexcusable and
entirely preventable," notes Dr. John French, of the US Geological Survey's
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, and a member of the US-Canada Whooping
Crane Recovery Team.

With fewer than 400 Whooping cranes in the wild, every bird is important in
our efforts to keep this species from extinction. This particular bird was
extremely valuable to the recovery program and this unnecessary killing is a
setback. It is encouraging there are so many citizens across country who
continue to champion the whooping crane recovery, and can help prevent this
from happening again," said French.

 




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[wisb] News of the shooting on whooper in Indiana

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