Prior to European settlement, Passenger Pigeons, bison and Whooping Cranes were found in the wild near ICF’s headquarters in southern Wisconsin, as remembered in this mural by artist Victor Bakhtin. Nearly 15 years of intensive reintroduction efforts are slowly returning the Whooping Crane to Wisconsin, but the species is threatened by illegal shooting throughout its range. Help us safeguard this species and ensure that their ancient call never again disappears from our landscape. | |
![]() But unlike the Passenger Pigeon, the Whooping Crane has a second chance. Nearly 75 years of conservation efforts have brought the Whooping Crane back from the brink of extinction, and today the species numbers over 600 birds in the wild and captivity. Low genetic diversity, habitat loss, and power line collisions remain chronic threats to the species’ future. But recently a historic threat, illegal shooting, has re-emerged as one of the Whooping Crane’s greatest challenges. In the past five years, at least 19 Whooping Cranes have been shot in the United States. These disturbing acts of vandalism have happened in all three Whooping Crane populations – from breeding grounds in Wisconsin, to wintering areas in Texas, Louisiana, and all along the cranes’ flyways. For the population re-introduced in the eastern United States, about 20% of all crane deaths have been from shootings – putting the future of this population at risk. In an effort to mitigate the shooting risks for Whooping Cranes, ICF has launched the Keep Whooping Cranes Safe program, an effort to better understand and reduce the hazards these birds face. With partners across the country, ICF will:
| ![]() Equally breathtaking is the bugling call of the Whooping Crane, an ancient call that reminds us of what we could still lose. Help us safeguard the species by supporting ICF today. |