Dallas Zoo offers $12.5K reward after whooping crane found with gunshot wound in Louisiana

The Dallas Zoo is offering a $12,500 reward after authorities found a whooping crane dead with a gunshot wound, the zoo said this week in a post on X. The crane was released into the wild as a chick in November 2023 after it was born at the Dallas Zoo.

The animal was found dead on Jan. 9 near Mamou, Louisiana, according to the zoo.

Harming whooping cranes — a federally endangered species per the Endangered Species Act — is prohibited, the zoo said in the post.

As a result, the zoo and other contributing organizations offer the reward for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the person responsible for the death of the bird.

“Conservation is at the heart of everything we do at the Dallas Zoo. While we often celebrate success stories, the work we so passionately undertake is often marked by challenges and setbacks beyond our control. The impact of this significant loss is felt by everyone involved,” the zoo said in the post.

The incident is being investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

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Anyone with information about the incident can call the USFWS at 985-882-3756 or the LDWF’s Lake Charles Office at 337-491-2588.