Posted on 02/04/2007 7:07:19 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
It is a stirring sight that has awed Wisconsinites for six years now: an ultralight aircraft aloft in the fading sunlight, leading endangered whooping cranes from the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge on their maiden migration south.
News that 17 of the 18 birds from the 2006 migration have died at their winter habitat in Florida has devastated conservationists and the volunteers who raised them. But they said Saturday that the loss reinforces their commitment to re-establishing one of the world's most endangered species.
"This is such a heartbreak . . . such a loss. The news of this brought us to our knees," said Liz Condie of Operation Migration and the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership, a coalition of groups working to reintroduce migratory whooping cranes in the eastern United States.
"But the program will go on," she said.
"I have to think that once we've had time to mourn, we'll come back stronger than ever and with an increased sense of urgency."
The 17 birds were found dead Friday in their large enclosure on a wetland at the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge on the Gulf Coast, after fierce, predawn storms swept through central Florida, killing at least 20 people.
While speculation on the cause of the birds' deaths has focused on the storm - some have suggested the cranes may have been struck by lightning or drowned in a tidal surge - Condie stressed that it remains undetermined.
"There's been all kinds of supposition as to what happened to them, but we still can't say for sure," she said.
Looking for clues
Results from necropsies on five birds should be completed by Tuesday, said John Christian of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, co-chairman of the partnership.
As devastated as conservationists are by the cranes' deaths, Condie and Christian said it was important to keep perspective.
"These birds were important to us, but we need to remember that this was a catastrophic event for human life as well," Condie said.
Initial reports indicated all 18 birds had perished. But when they were brought in to be cleaned, only 17 were counted, and a search of the enclosure failed to turn up the missing bird.
According to Christian, workers picked up a signal from a radio transmitter worn by one of the birds outside the enclosure Saturday afternoon. As they approached, the signal stopped, indicating the bird might have flown off, he said.
"We don't have confirmation that (crane number) 1506 is alive, but we're hopeful," said Christian, who is based in Minneapolis. "It's a ray of light on an otherwise dark day for conservation."
It is unclear how the crane would have gotten out of the enclosure, which had netting on top of it, he said.
The birds that perished had hatched last spring and left Necedah on Oct. 5, arriving at a preserve outside Ocala, Fla., on Dec. 19. They were moved a month later to their winter home at Chassahowitzka, Condie said.
The cranes, which are raised with minimal human interaction to keep them as wild as possible, follow the ultralight only on their first migration south.
The whooping crane remains endangered; however, the population has increased dramatically since the 1940s, when there were just 15 birds, according to Condie. Before Friday's loss, she said, there were 354 whooping cranes in the wild and 142 in captivity.
$258,000 trip
At the time of the deaths, Operation Migration was still raising money to pay for the 2006 trip, which cost about $258,000, or about $206 a mile.
"We poured hearts and souls into this, and saw a year's work taken away in a blink of an eye," Condie said.
Christian called it "a profound setback," but said the partnership was already taking steps to rebuild the flock.
The breeding season starts in the next few weeks, he said.
The partnership will be requesting 36 eggs from zoos and other propagation facilities around the country, up from 22 last year. Of those, 24 would go to the ultralight program and 12 for direct autumn release, an experimental program that encourages chicks to follow along with mature cranes for their first migration.
If all 36 chicks survive, it will the largest migration to date, Christian said.
"The propagation facilities are prepared to go all-out to help us rebuild the flock," he said.
Midwest List Ping!
I've seen one in flight, once. Wonderful sight. We have Great Blue Herons which fly through our neighborhood regularly. Similar look and flight style. I still get chills (maybe I should say goose bumps) when I see wild geese in flight even though they are pests around here.
Fla. storms killed all 18 whooping cranes led south by ultralight
Sounds like the conservationists killed them by trapping them in an enclosure where they couldn't defend themselves. Nice work. sarc/
Please add me to this list. Thanks.
As a Freeper pointed out in an earlier thread, if they'd released the birds from the enclosure in advance of the storm, they'd probably have survived it.
They were sitting ducks, er, cranes.
They didn't mention the 19 people that were killed in the same storm. It was only 10 miles from my Mother's house down there. It was a bad storm.
Sorry! I did a title search, but we must've crossed, as usual! ;)
I was thinking of that, too. Sort of like letting the cattle and horses out of the barn during a tornado threat up here.
Oh, well. The scientists will make more cranes, I'm sure. I've chaperoned Field Trips to The Crane Foundation here in WI many times over the years. They have a great setup there, and can get wild cranes to re-produce like nobody's business. :)
This way more people get to read it, and it's a different article.
I was glued to the TV on Thurs/Friday mornings. We have friends and family down there, too.
Fortunately none were hit as they were north of the area, but living in a 'Tornado Alley' myself, it's always of interest to me.
We had one hit two summers ago in the next town over. $47 million in damage in a matter of hours. I watched it go over our back forty on it's way to touchdown. Terrifying!
One death. Lots of ruined crops (it was nearly harvest time) and many, many horses, cows, pigs and goats lost. :(
One came through our farm before we bought the place. The trees across the road still bear the scars; and that was nearly 20 years ago.
"The 17 birds were found dead Friday in their large enclosure on a wetland at the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge on the Gulf Coast, after fierce, predawn storms swept through central Florida, killing at least 20 people"
Posted a couple times already - still a shame.
I've never seen one. When I was in NE we could see thousands of Sandhill cranes, but whoopers were top secret.
OK, When I called Mom yesterday the count was 19.
Its too bad about the birds but the people are more important.
I couldn't even get through to Mom until 10:30 AM yesterday. The phones were out. She got lots of wind and rain but no major damage.
We live across from a lake and once in a great while, I will see Whooping Cranes, verses the Sandhills that are always around.
They are HUGE (5'-6' tall) and very majestic, especially the males.
I can only suspect they're truly wild ones that are on their way north or south having escaped the scientists and figured out their "Special Purpose," LOL!
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