November 9, 2004

 Contacts:  Dave Hilley  620-486-2393
                    Barb Perkins 303-236-4588

  INJURED WHOOPING CRANES FOUND IN KANSAS WERE SHOT, INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY 

            The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has confirmed that the two injured whooping cranes found November 6 in Stafford County, Kansas, near Quivira National Wildlife Refuge were shot.  An investigation is being conducted.  If anyone has specific information concerning the shooting of these birds, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement at 303-236-7540. 

Dr. Jim Carpenter, veterinarian at the Kansas State University Veterinary Medical Center in Manhattan, completed his examination of the birds and determined the cause of their injuries. 

            Whooping cranes are protected by the Endangered Species Act. The penalty for the unlawful take of an endangered species is a fine of up to $100,000 and/or up to 1 year in jail.  More information about whooping cranes is available on this website:  http://migratorybirds.fws.gov/issues/sandhillcrane/sandhillcranehunters.htm

            The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 545 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. 

- FWS - 

For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
visit our home page at http://www.fws.gov

Visit the Mountain Prairie website at: http://mountain-prairie.fws.gov