(Fwd) Reward Offered in Connection With Trumpeter Swan Killing

Norm Saunders (osprey@ARI.Net)
Fri, 29 Jan 1999 18:17:57 -0500 

Thought y'all might find this intersting in light of the discussion about 
Trumpeters here of late:


For Immediate Release                                        January 29, 1999           
Contact:  Special Agent Tim Santel, 217-793-9554 EA99-05
                 Tim_Santel@mail.fws.gov
              Scott Flaherty, 612-713-5309
                  Scott_Flaherty@mail.fws.gov

Reward Offered in Connection With Trumpeter Swan Killings in Southern
Illinois

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Trumpeter Swan Society and several
Chapters of the Illinois Audubon Society have posted a $2,000 reward for
information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for
the slaughter of five federally-protected trumpeter swans found Sunday,
January 24, at Carlyle Lake in Fayette County, Illinois. 

Illinois conservation officers, acting on an anonymous tip, discovered the
mutilated remains of the birds along a road near the Patoka boat landing
on the east side of the lake.  Four of the birds were decapitated and had
their breasts cut out.

Special Agent Tim Santel, of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 
Springfield, Ill., law enforcement office, said the birds were likely
mutilated to remove identification devices placed on the swans by
researchers.  "It's likely the swans were wearing leg bands and neck
collars used to track the birds as part of trumpeter swan reintroduction
programs in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan. The breasts were likely
removed to be cooked for food," Santel said.

Trumpeter swans have been mistakenly killed during waterfowl hunting
season in Illinois, where they are confused with legal game species such
as snow geese, Canada geese and other waterfowl.  "But this case is
different," Santel said.  "The mutilated condition of these birds tells
you that this was not the conduct of a hunter who made an honest 
mistake."
 Santel said the swans' remains have been sent to the National Fish and
Wildlife Forensics Lab in Oregon for further examination.

Trumpeter swans are considerably larger than other game birds.  The 
trumpeter's plumage is snow-white, can weigh up to 38 pounds, and 
measure
up to five feet in length.  The bird's wingspan can reach eight feet.  By
comparison, a Canada goose weighs about 12 pounds.

Last year, in nearly the same location, two trumpeter swans were killed by
hunters.  The responsible hunters were later found and prosecuted.  "If a
hunter sees a pure white bird with an eight-foot wingspan, they shouldn't
pull the trigger.  It's definitely not a goose," Santel said.

The trumpeter swan is one of three swan species found in Illinois and all
three are protected by state law.  Other species include the tundra swan
and mute swan.  Both the trumpeter and mute swan are protected by the
federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and unlike other waterfowl, may not be
hunted.  Shooting a swan, even accidentally, is a misdemeanor violation of
the Act and carries a penalty of up to $5,000 for individuals and $10,000
for organizations and up to six months in prison.

Trumpeter swans are slowly making a comeback from low populations.  
Reintroduction efforts are underway in some states in an effort to bolster
the swan populations.  Most recently in Indiana, four trumpeter swans were
reintroduced to the state after being led by ultralight aircraft from
Ontario, Canada, to Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge.

As part of Wisconsin's reintroduction efforts, trumpeter swans were
hatched from eggs collected in Alaska, incubated and hatched at the
Milwaukee Zoo, and released in northern Wisconsin.  While migrating south
across Illinois, three of these birds were shot and two killed at the
Anderson Lake Wildlife Management Area in Fulton County in 1997.

Anyone with information helpful to the investigation of the Carlyle Lake
killings should contact the Service's Law Enforcement Offices in
Springfield, Ill. (217) 793-9554; St. Peters, Mo. (314) 441-1909 or the
Illinois TIP (Turn in Poachers) hotline 1-800-236-7529.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency 
responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish and wildlife
and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.  The
Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System
comprising more than 500 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small
wetlands, and other special management areas.  It also operates 66
national fish hatcheries and 78 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 governments with their conservation efforts. 
It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of
millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to
state wildlife agencies.  For further information about the programs and
activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big
Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://www.fws.gov/r3pao/

                              -FWS-

===============
Norm Saunders
Colesville, MD
osprey@ari.net