Whooping Cranes may be moved to Vermilion Parish in Louisian

[Ira Runyan]

Here are some photographs of a Whooping Crane I took at Joe Overstreet Drive in Osceola county several years ago.

From 1993 to 2004, biologists released 289 captive-raised, non-migratory whooping cranes into Osceola, Lake and Polk counties in Central Florida with the objective of reestablishing a population in the state of Florida. The program was a complete failure, and most of the 289 birds have died due to them flying into power lines, bobcats, and drought conditions in the state. Only 14 of the Whooping Cranes remain alive.

The Tampa Bay Times newspaper and KATC-TV-3 ran stories this month (March, 2018) reporting that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Whooping Crane Recovery Team is proposing to move the 14 remaining Whooping Cranes to a larger and more robust population of cranes in Vermilion Parish in Louisiana.

[Tim Abbott]

Hopefully they will do better there. I thought there were some around Crystal River that were flown to Florida with one of those one man aircraft. I remember seeing photos on this board from one of your members of them going over Dunnellon airport.

[Ira Runyan]

Mar 12, 2018 16:08:26 GMT -5 Tim Abbott said:

Hopefully they will do better there. I thought there were some around Crystal River that were flown to Florida with one of those one man aircraft. I remember seeing photos on this board from one of your members of them going over Dunnellon airport.

Yes, those are a different group that were being trained to migrate here.

The ones in the central Florida area do not migrate. 

[Tim Abbott]

Thanks Ira

[frank]

Found a recent article on Whooping Cranes in Florida.  Seems that the Chassawitzka National Wildlife Refuge cranes will not be part of the relocation to Vermilion Parish in Lousiana.

Here is the link to the article 


Whooping Crane Article

[Ira Runyan]

Mar 13, 2018 19:06:45 GMT -5 frank said:

Found a recent article on Whooping Cranes in Florida.  Seems that the Chassawitzka National Wildlife Refuge cranes will not be part of the relocation to Vermilion Parish in Lousiana.

Here is the link to the article 


Whooping Crane Article

You are correct, only the remaining 14 non-migratory birds would be moved.

For more incite on this relocation proposal you may want to read this document... ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT June 2017

[Ira Runyan]

On March 7, 2018 the Florida Wildlife Commission posted this about the proposed relocation of the 14 remaining non-migrating Whooping Cranes..

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers changes to protect endangered whooping cranes