LYONS, Ind. — An endangered whooping crane has been found fatally shot in southwestern Indiana, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources officers.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ Law Enforcement Division says a member of the International Crane Foundation found the bird’s carcass Tuesday, Jan. 3, near the Greene County town of Lyons, about 75 miles southwest of Indianapolis.
Officials say that remains of the 5-year-old female crane were found in a field along Indiana 67 near the Goose Pond State Fish and Wildlife Area.
State officials say preliminary evidence suggests the bird was shot during the New Year’s Day weekend. State officials say there are only about 120 whooping cranes in the U.S. and they are federally endangered species. It was found in an agricultural area not far from where another whooping crane was killed a few years back.
Conservation Officer Nathan Lutz says the crane had a radio transmitter, was banded, and had been tracked for several years. She had a chick last spring, but it didn’t survive.
Whooping cranes are North America’s largest birds, standing over 5 feet tall. They are distinctive animals, standing five feet tall, with white bodies, black wing tips and red crowns on their heads. They migrate back and forth from central Wisconsin to the Gulf Coast of Florida, passing through Indiana, according to the DNR.
Authorities ask for anyone with information to contact conservation law enforcement.
