A reward totaling at least $12,500 is being offered by multiple organizations including the Dallas Zoo after an endangered whooping crane was found deceased with a gunshot wound in Louisiana.
The chick was born at the Dallas Zoo and released into the wild in Nov. 2023. The bird was found with the fatal gunshot wound on Jan. 9 near Mamou, Louisiana.
“Conservation is at the heart of everything we do at the Dallas Zoo. While we often celebrate success stories, the work we so passionately undertake is often marked by challenges and setbacks beyond our control,” the zoo wrote in a Tweet Wednesday. “The impact of this significant loss is felt by everyone involved.”
The Dallas Zoo cares for five whooping crane breeding pairs at the Whooping Crane Center of Texas. Through raise and release efforts, the zoo has helped contribute to growing the wild crane population to over 500 after dipping to only 15 in the mid-1900s.
The whooping crane is a federally endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. The incident is currently under investigation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the zoo said.
The reward will be offered to anyone with information that leads to the arrest or indictment of the person responsible for the whooping crane’s harm.
