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Fw: Re: [BIRDCHAT] (US-FL) Rare whooping cranes shot dead in Fla.



saw this on the birdchat and florida birds listservs.

lee van malssen
chapel hill, nc
northern chatham cty
leescats@earthlink.net


----- Original Message -----
From: Barry K. MacKay <mimus@SYMPATICO.CA>
To: <BIRDCHAT@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, November 22, 2000 10:10 AM
Subject: Re: [BIRDCHAT] (US-FL) Rare whooping cranes shot dead in Fla.


>   Tuesday November 21 05:25 PM EST
>   Rare Whooping Cranes Shot Dead in Fla.
>
>   St. Augustine, Fla. ( APBnews.com) -- Federal and state authorities are
> investigating the deaths of two rare, protected whooping cranes that were
> found shot in a field west of this small north Florida city.
>
>   The cranes were discovered Sunday by a birdwatcher in the area who had
> been tracking the flight of the cranes, said Joy Hill, spokeswoman for the
> Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
>
>   "The shooting death of these whooping cranes is really a deplorable
thing
> for a person to do," Hill told APBnews.com. "Ethical hunters would never
> take a shot at a bird like this. They know it's not legal game."
>
>   Hunting prohibited
>
>   The cranes' carcasses were recovered by wildlife officers in a freshly
> plowed cornfield and were on private property, Hill said.
>
>   "The cranes were not in a hunting area," she said.
>
>   Agents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will perform a necropsy,
> also known as an animal autopsy, later this week to try to discover more
> about how the cranes died.
>
>   Preliminary findings show that the cranes were killed with a shotgun,
Hill
> said.
>
>   "This shooting is obviously the work of people who have a blatant
> disregard for protected species," Hill said. "We only have approximately
75
> of these whooping cranes remaining in Florida."
>
>   Fines, jail term for shooters
>
>   The cranes are a federally protected endangered species, and because of
> that designation, anyone caught shooting or killing them faces large
> penalties,Hill said.
>
>   "These whooping cranes are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act
> and under the Endangered Species Act," she said.
>
>   Those convicted for these crimes face up to a $50,000 fine and up to a
> year in prison, according to federal law. They also face stiff penalties
> under state law, Hill said.
>
>   The cranes were part of the Whooping Crane Reintroduction Project.
> Officers from the conservation commission had been tracking the birds
since
> their release about 18 months ago, Hill said.
>
>   "These birds were raised in Wisconsin and just released last year
outside
> of Orlando," Hill said. "We have been tracking them with radio
transmitters
> they carried and found they have been around the St. Augustine area in the
> north part of the state."
>
>   Wildlife officers say that the birds migrated to north Florida because
of
> the extreme drought conditions in the central part of the state, Hill
said.
>
>   No motive
>
>   This is not the first time a whooping crane has been killed near the
> St.Augustine area.
>
>   "It's ironic that a crane in the 1920s was shot, killed, stuffed and
> mounted in the same county where the two dead cranes were found," Hill
said.
>
>   There are currently no motives for the deaths of the birds, Hill said.
>
>   The cranes are estimated to be valued between $20,000 and $47,000 each,
> Hill said. The St. Johns County Audubon Society has posted a $500 reward
for
> information regarding the death of the cranes.
>
>   Any person with information is asked to call the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
> Service or the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
>
>   By Scott A. Pignone, an APBnews.com Southeast correspondent.
>
>   _______________________
>
>
>
>   Barry Kent MacKay
>
>   31 Colonel Butler Drive
>
>   Markham, ON L3P 6B6
>
>   Canada
>