A 9,000 dollar reward is being offered by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for any information on the fatal shooting of two Whooping Cranes in Acadia Parish.

LDWF Spokesperson Adam Einck says they found the endangered birds with gunshot wounds in Rayne. He says both birds were found very close to each other.

“So we do believe they were both killed in the same amount of time in the same manner, on the morning of May 20th. They were freshly killed, so we do believe they were shot that morning.”

Einck says 2,000 dollars in private donations were collected for this reward. He says many different organizations also contributed.

“$1,000 from our own operation game thief fund, The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation kicked in another $1,000. The Humane Society of the United States, they were able to offer up $5,000.”

Einck says they’re currently tracking 38 Whooping Cranes and recently a pair of birds hatched a few eggs. He says a handful of Whooping Cranes have been shot in recent years but most people understand it is one of the most endangered of all the world’s cranes.

“We are currently looking for anybody that may have been responsible for shooting these Whooping Cranes and we currently have up to a $9,000 reward for anybody that can come forward and give us some information.”

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