The endangered whooping crane population currently stands at only about 600 in all of North America — and shootings are cutting into that number.
In the past few months, three of the continent’s tallest birds, at some five feet, have been killed: Two were apparently killed in November in Kentucky, and one was found shot dead in southwestern Louisiana on Friday.
The identities of the birds make a “senseless act” all the more “devastating,” says Robert Love of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries….