Reward for Whooping Crane Shooting Info Now at $10,000

The reward money offered in connection with the shooting of a rare whooping crane in Indiana is now at $10,000, up from $7,500.

Government wildlife agencies, conservation groups and a private citizen have contributed money for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever shot the whooping crane near Cayuga in western Indiana's Vermillion County around December 1st.

The U-S fish and Wildlife Service says a leg band on the dead crane identifies it as the 7-year-old mother of "Wild-1", the only whooping crane chick to ever successfully migrate after being hatched in captivity. There are only about 500 whooping cranes left in the world.

If you have information on the shooting, you can call the Indiana Department of Natural Resources at 1-800-TIP-IDNR.