Three endangered whooping cranes were shot to death in southern Georgia, wildlife officials say.
The three dead birds were found and reported by hunters near Albany, Georgia, on December 30, according to a release from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The cranes, which were banded and fitted with radio transmitters, were part of a group of five that were migrating to Florida together, the service said. They had last been tracked 20 days earlier in Hamilton County, Tennessee.
The cranes are part of the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership effort to reintroduce whooping cranes into the eastern United States. There are about 570 whooping cranes left in the world, 400 of which are in the wild, according to the wildlife service. About 100 cranes are in the eastern migratory population.
The cranes that were killed were not among those famously led south by ultralight aircraft, but instead were part of the Direct Autumn Release program, in which cranes are encouraged to follow other migrating birds, such as sandhill cranes.
In addition to the Endangered Species Act, whooping cranes are protected by state laws and the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
The wildlife service and Georgia Department of Natural Resources are investigating. Several organizations have contributed toward a $12,500 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan
It's a terrible story, but I'm afraid it reminded me of a joke:
This guy is on trial for killing and eating a California Condor, one of the rarest species on the planet. The judge says "Before I convict you of this HEINOUS crime against nature, I want to know what POSSIBLE explanation you have for this despicable act."
The guy says "Well, Your Honor, I was backpacking with some friends and there was a terrible rock slide. My friends were killed and buried, and I lost all my gear except for a shotgun. I went for 4 days and 3 nights without food or water, and just as I was giving up hope, this big thing flew up in front of me. I shot without thinking, and only realized that it was an incredibly rare and endangered species AFTER I had shot it. But I honestly believe, Your Honor, that without that bird, I would have died. The meat from the bird kept me alive until I was rescued several days later. I feel terrible about killing a California Condor, and would do anything I could to bring it back. But, Your Honor, can you honestly say you wouldn't have done the same thing in my place?".
The judge sits there in silence, and then says "Well, I believe that in this case, the sanctity of human life outweighs the value of this endangered species. Case dismissed."
Outside the Courthouse, the man is stopped by several reporters, who ask "What does California Condor taste like?". The man thinks for a second and says "Well, it's kind of a cross between Bald Eagle and Peregrin Falcon."
