Louisiana’s wild whooping crane population continues to grow as the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) and partners work to reestablish a flourishing population to the Bayou State.
Twelve juvenile whooping cranes were received Monday (Nov. 19) at Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge near Grand Chenier. It will bring the Louisiana wild population to 75 once the new arrivals are released.
Included in that wild population number are five chicks that were hatched and fledged in southwest Louisiana last spring. The five chicks are the most hatched in a single year since the project began in 2011 and represent a major milestone in the whooping crane reintroduction project.
Of the new arrivals, seven juvenile whooping cranes came from the International Crane Foundation and five cranes hatched and reared at Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center in New Orleans, part of the Audubon Nature Institute.
LDWF and Audubon Nature Institute have been longtime leaders in whooping crane conservation in Louisiana and are continuing to expand their partnership with the goal of developing a self-sustaining population of whooping cranes in Louisiana. With that support, LDWF and Audubon are committed to the long-term growth and stability of the whooping crane population to save the species from extinction, supported by generous donors including U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Chevron, Conoco Phillips, Cameron LNG, Coypu Foundation and the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation
The 12 whooping cranes were placed into a holding pen at Rockefeller for observation as they acclimate to their new home. They’re expected to be released from the release pen after several weeks.
“With the addition of the 12 cranes along with the five wild hatched chicks, our whooping crane project enjoyed a banner year in 2018,’’ LDWF Secretary Jack Montoucet said.
“So many hard-working
