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> <http://www.savingcranes.org/index.cfm>
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> Travels Journals
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> Whooper Reintroduction Updates
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> Current Trip: Winter 2007: Monitoring the Whooping Cranes
> Entry February 2
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> Devastating Loss, February 2, 2007
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> We regretfully announces the loss of the 18 juvenile whooping cranes at
the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge. The cranes died as a result of
the storms that swept through central Florida during the evening and early
morning of February 1 and 2. It was the second-deadliest combination of
thunderstorms and tornados in Florida history.
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> We are in the initial stages of determining the cause of death of the 18
whooping cranes, which comprised the ultralight-led "Class of 2006" and
arrived at the Chassahowitzka NWR in mid January. Following standard
protocol, WCEP personnel checked on the cranes the evening of February 1.
Due to the magnitude of the storm and the location of the pensite,
personnel were unable to safely check on the cranes until this afternoon,
at which time the birds were discovered dead in their enclosure.
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> While this is a setback for the whooping crane reintroduction project,
WCEP has faced challenges in the past and we plan to move forward with our
effort to return this highly imperiled species to its historic range in
eastern North America.
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> "My heart is aching both for the young birds we lost and for the
dedicated people who devote so much of themselves to this project, only to
see the cranes' lives end in this devastating manner. These birds were the
start of a new generation of life for the species, but we will recover and
continue our work," said John Christian, co-chair of the Whooping Crane
Eastern Partnership.
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> Our thoughts are with the people of central Florida affected by this
tragic disaster.
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> Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership founding members are the International
Crane Foundation, Operation Migration Inc., Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey's
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and National Wildlife Health Center, the
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Natural Resources Foundation of
Wisconsin, and the International Whooping Crane Recovery Team.