An Indiana man, Wade Bennett, and a minor have pled guilty for their involvement in the shooting and killing of a critically endangered Whooping Crane way back in 2009, and been sentenced to probation and the paying of fines and fees. There is still no information on the more recent killings of the majestic birds.
In a completely unrelated case, a South Dakota man, Randy Albers, pled guilty to charges related to poisoning Canada Geese on his farm and was sentenced to a year of probation. He must also pay a $5,000 fine and $1,650 in restitution.
When will people learn that just because they can kill something neither means that they should nor that they will get away with committing crimes?
Corey is a New Yorker who lived most of his life in upstate New York but has lived in Queens since 2008. He's only been birding since 2005 but has garnered a respectable life list by birding whenever he wasn't working as a union representative or spending time with his family. He lives in Forest Hills with Daisy and Desmond Shearwater. His bird photographs have appeared on the Today Show, in Birding, Living Bird Magazine, Bird Watcher's Digest, and many other fine publications. He is also the author of the American Birding Association Field Guide to the Birds of New York.
1. Who the hell kills a whooping crane? They look nothing like a sandhill! And nothing like any other legal bird. It’s minor consolation that they pled guilty instead of fighting the charges.
2. Who poisons geese, when thousands of dollars a year can be made by leasing the right to shoot them to legal hunters? Who poisons birds, period?
You stumbled upon some gigantic idiots in compiling this post?
PS neat to see you live in Forest Hills. In 1974, I became the first member of my family NOT raised in FH, Flushing or Glendale since 1906. My parents just sold “our” house there in December (Saunders @ 65th St) 🙁
Unfortunately, it sounds as if they essentially did get away with it. A one dollar fine (and probation). http://cs.birdwatchingdaily.com/BRDCS/blogs/field_of_view/archive/2011/04/19/killers-of-whooping-crane-in-indiana-receive-probation-1-fine.aspx
@Kirby: Well that really sucks. That really, really sucks. Aaaarrrggghhhh!!!!
That is totally insane!!! For comparison, if I (a hunter) were to kill one extra mallard over the daily “bag” limit and be caught, the fine would be between $350 and $600. If it was out of season, the fine would probably double, and I’d risk forfeiting boat, gun, and any other gear “involved in committing the crime.”
A lot of former game wardens have written books about how the court system does not understand wildlife law. This is as obvious an example as any. 🙁