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Louisiana’s fledgling whooping crane population got a boost Thursday when Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologists released 11 juvenile birds into a state wildlife conservation area, as part of a species restoration project.
LDWF Secretary Robert Barham said it is his hope that sportsmen report sightings of injured whooping cranes or any attempts by people to harm them.
“We are blessed to have many private landowners who have assisted us by working with our staff when the cranes roost on their property and we thank them for their help,” Barham said.
The eight females and three males released at the White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area near Gueydan, in Vermillion Parish, bring the total number of whooping cranes in Louisiana to 46.
The cranes, which hatched in early May through mid-June, were raised at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Md., and flown to Louisiana by the Windway Capital Corporation.
Corporate funding sponsors for the project include Chevron and ConocoPhillips.
The whooping cranes in Louisiana are designated as a non-essential, experimental population (NEP) under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act. This designation and its implementing regulation were developed to be more compatible with routine human activities in the reintroduction area. The initial cohort of birds received in 2011 marked the first presence of whooping cranes in the wild in Louisiana since 1950.
An LDWF statement released Friday says waterfowl hunters should be accustomed to seeing large-bodied, white birds with black wing-tips, such as white ibis, white pelicans, and wood storks, which must be distinguished from the legally-hunted snow geese.
Mature whooping cranes are equally identifiable as they stand five feet tall and have a wingspan of 7 to 8 feet. Easily identifiable characteristics of whooping cranes in flight include black wing tips and fully extended neck and legs, which extend well beyond the tail.
The LDWF has set up an online reporting form for anyone who sees a whooping crane and encourages the public to share the encounter. That form is available at: http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/webform/whooping-crane-reporting-form.
Anyone witnessing suspicious activity involving whooping cranes is advised to report that information immediately to LDWF’s Enforcement Division by calling 1-800-442-2511 or using the tip411 program, which may offer a cash reward for information leading to arrests or convictions. To use the tip411 program, citizens can text LADWF and their tip to 847411 or download the “LADWF Tips” iPhone app from the Apple iTunes store free of charge. CitizenObserver, the tip411 provider, uses technology that removes all identifying information before LDWF receives the text so that LDWF cannot identify the sender.
