Who knew there was Crane hunting?!  
 
Kansas hunters shoot endangered cranes
Thursday, November 11, 2004 Posted: 9:44 AM EST (1444 GMT) 

WICHITA, Kansas (AP) -- Two of the world's roughly 500 whooping cranes were shot by a group of hunters who said they mistook the endangered birds for sandhill cranes, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent said.

Farmers found the injured cranes Saturday near the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in south-central Kansas. One crane died Wednesday; the other is still recovering.

Charges have not been filed against the seven hunters, and authorities won't release their names until the U.S. Attorney's office reviews the case, said wildlife agent Kenny Kessler.

Killing a whooping crane could lead to a sentence of up to a one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.

The hunters said they thought the birds were sandhills when they opened fire on the first day of goose and sandhill crane season. They said they believed the birds would survive after watching them fly off.

The cranes were part of a flock of about 230 that migrates from Canada's Wood Buffalo National Park to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the Texas Gulf Coast each winter.
 

Denise Ryan
Washington, DC