BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Information about the shooting of two endangered whooping cranes in Jefferson Davis Parish could be worth $20,000.
The Advocate reports the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries announced the new reward Monday, pushing it up from the $15,000 offered last month for a tip leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.
"We are still seeking information. It is still an ongoing investigation," Wildlife and Fisheries spokesman Adam Einck said.
The two endangered whooping cranes were found shot on Feb. 7 in Jefferson Davis Parish near Compton and Radio Tower Roads north of Roanoke.
One of the birds was dead when discovered.
The other crane initially survived but later died at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, where it had been taken for treatment.
The two cranes were among 50 that were brought to White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area in Vermilion Parish as part of a project to re-establish a population of the large birds in the south Louisiana marshes where they once thrived.
The cranes, which can grow up to 5 feet tall with a 7-foot wingspan, are a federally protected species in the U.S.
Three other cranes were shot and killed since the reintroduction project began in 2011.
Two of those shootings also were in Jefferson Davis Parish in 2011; the third was in Red River Parish in 2013.
Wildlife officials have said two juveniles were responsible for the 2011 shootings.
No one has been arrested in the Red River Parish case.
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Information from: The Advocate, www.theadvocate.com
