Sunday Target To Release 14 Young Whooping Cranes Into Marsh

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Biologists with the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries hope to release 14 young endangered whooping cranes into a southwest Louisiana swamp on Sunday.

Possible reasons for delaying it could be too much wind for a first flight, too much fog to see or so much rain that it would drench the baggy costumes worn to keep the cranes from getting used to people.

A fourth possible reason: too many aggressive adult cranes in the neighborhood.

Biologist Sara Zimorski says that for the second year in a row, adults released in earlier years have been dropping by while the patchy cinnamon-and-white youngsters were penned. She says the adults generally show up for a day or two, then leave.

The young cranes arrived Dec. 4 from Maryland and Wisconsin.