Reward offered for shooting deaths of Whooping cranes

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division agents are looking for leads regarding two endangered whooping cranes that appear to have been shot to death in Acadia Parish.
The cranes were found just south of Rayne off of Hwy. 35 on the morning of May 20. 
The cranes were recovered and sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service forensics lab.
Up to $9,000 is being offered by various groups for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the illegal killing of these whooping cranes. 
The department’s Operation Game Thief program and the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation are each offering a reward of up to $1,000; The Humane Society of the United States and The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust are offering up to $5,000.  The department also received a total of $2,000 from private donations.
Anyone with information regarding these illegal killings should call the Louisiana Operation Game Thief hotline at 1-800-442-2511 or use LDWF’s tip411 program. To use the tip411 program, residents can text LADWF and their tip to 847411 or download the “LADWF Tips” app. The hotline and the tip411 are monitored 24 hours a day. 
Upon request, informants can remain anonymous.