Contributions from two organizations have tripled the amount of a reward offered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons who shot and killed a Whooping Crane near Cayuga, Indiana.
Defenders of Wildlife, a national non-profit conservation organization, and the Indiana Turn in a Poacher or a Polluter Program are each donating $2,500 to the reward for information that leads to an arrest. The total reward is now $7,500.
Wildlife law enforcement agents with the FWS and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources are investigating the shooting of the crane, which happened sometime between Saturday, November 28, and Tuesday, December 1.
The Turn in a Poacher or a Polluter Program is a joint effort between the sportsmen and sportswomen of Indiana, concerned citizens and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Through the program, any citizen can anonymously report violations of fishing, hunting, and environmental laws, and can be eligible for cash rewards. All of the money contributed to rewards comes from private donations.
“The Indiana TIP Program hopes that the increased reward amount will encourage some good citizen to come forward with information that will lead to the arrest of the person who did this,” said Phil Seng, a member of the TIP Citizen’s Advisory Board. “People who break hunting and fishing laws are not hunters or anglers. They are thieves who steal from all of us.”
Defenders of Wildlife often contributes to rewards for information when endangered or state-listed species are killed, according to Caroline Kennedy, senior director of field conservation for the organization.
"It is tragic that such an important bird in the recovery effort was killed," Kennedy said. "We hope that the additional reward money that Defenders of Wildlife is providing will help lead to a conviction in the death of this bird."
Observations reported by the public play a key role in solving wildlife crime, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Buddy Shapp. “People who live in an area notice details that can tell us a lot,” Shapp said. “They sometimes see something or hear something that strikes them as unusual but not necessarily criminal. People might not realize that their observation is significant.”
Anyone with information should call the Indiana Department of Natural Resources 24-hour hotline at: 1-800 TIP IDNR (800-847-4367), or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at 317-346-7016. Callers can remain anonymous. --Matt Mendenhall, Associate Editor
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