Men hid endangered birds they killed, but hunters stumbled onto survivor, feds say
A group of Oklahoma hunters are accused of killing endangered whooping cranes and hiding the bodies — but one of the birds wasn’t dead.
The four men, all between 32 and 43 years old, shot the rare birds while hunting at Tom Steed Reservoir in southwest Oklahoma, in early November 2021, the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Oklahoma said in an Oct. 6 news release.
Standing almost 5-feet tall with a wingspan of 7.5 feet, whooping cranes are the largest bird in North America, and there are fewer than 600 remaining in the wild, according to wildlife officials.
The men shot four cranes and hid the carcasses in the area, officials said. Their crime went unnoticed for about a month, until other hunters stumbled across a wounded whooping crane and contacted game wardens, according to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
The crane was taken to a veterinary clinic where it died, officials said, but a necropsy revealed the cause of its wounds: a shotgun blast.
Investigators searched the area where the bird was found and uncovered the remains of three more whooping cranes, according to the ODWC.
“This is sickening to see such a wanton waste of wildlife, and our Game Wardens are very eager to visit with the individual or individuals who committed this crime,” Wade Farrar, assistant chief of law enforcement with the wildlife department, said at the time. “Somebody out there knows something that will help in this investigation, and I trust that they will do the right thing and come forward.”
On Aug. 22, authorities charged the four men in the crane killings, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said, adding that whooping cranes are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Each of the men was ordered to pay $17,000 in restitution to a whooping crane conservation organization, plus a $750 fine, officials said. Additionally, their shotguns were taken away and they are barred from hunting anywhere in the United States for the next five years.
“Each of us bears responsibility to protect endangered wildlife so that the species is preserved for future generations,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Troester. “My office stands with and commends the work done by our federal and state law enforcement partners, and we hope this case serves as a warning for those who would harm endangered species.”
Tom Steed Reservoir is roughly 95 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.
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