Surgery for a Whooping Crane

Once very close to extinction, the whooping crane is making a comeback, thanks to conservation efforts over the last few decades. In 1937, only two small breeding populations of the whooping crane remained: a nonmigratory population in southwestern Louisiana; and a migratory population that nested in Canada and wintered on the Texas Coast.

Today, there are nearly 300 whooping cranes in the wild and in captivity.

This wild whooping crane was shot earlier this month in Kansas, but now it is recovering after surgery Nov. 18 to repair a broken wing.

The injured crane, part of the last remaining wild flock of an endangered species that migrates annually from northern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, was shot as it traveled through Kansas on its way south. The bird had 11 pellets in its body. Another crane that was shot during the same incident did not survive.

This one is under the care Glenn Olsen, a veterinarian at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Md. In this picture, flock manager Jane Chandler holds the crane for a physical.

Olsen said last week that it's too soon to know whether the bird will be able to return to the wild.

"Currently, the bird is in satisfactory shape, Olsen said. "It is eating some solid food, and we are giving it medication for its wounds."

-- LiveScience Staff

Credit: USGS