Shooting Sandhills is putting a rare species of cranes at risk of extinction. If people hunt Sandhill Cranes the rare Whooping Crane might be mistaken for a Sandhill. Sandhill Cranes may destroy plants but IFC (International Crane Foundation) are working on a substance to deter the Sandhills. If hunting Sandhills is going to put another species in danger hunting them is not a beneficial idea.

A rare crane called the Whooping Crane is easily mistaken for a Sandhill Crane. With a population of only 600 in North America they are close to extinction. If each hunter shot one Whooping Crane thinking it was a Sandhill Crane the species would be gone. The government has already spent millions of dollars reviving the species once in 2000. "It's a devastating setback and such a senseless act, don't shoot big white birds. It's that simple”, says said Robert Love, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries administrator (Paresh). While a Whooping crane is white and has black wingtips and adults have a red crown, Sandhills are solid gray that might look white, and they also have a red crown (Identification: Whooping Cranes & Sandhill Cranes). Hunters should also know what they are shooting at but this is not the only problem.

Hunting Sandhill cranes in Wisconsin is not a solution to crop damage. Hunting Sandhill should also not permitted because IFC is working with scientists on creating a substance that will deter the cranes. The substance will taste bad for the cranes so they will not want the eat the crops (Hunting Issue). IFC is doing this because when the cranes destroy the crop it is $30 an acre to replace the seeds, but creating the substance is costly but it will help in the long run (Paresh). Farmers are allowed to shoot the cranes if they are on their land so when the substance is created and ready to use farmers will not have to shoot the cranes too.

Even though some people say that shooting Sandhill cranes is a good idea because creating the substance would be costly or why is this whooping crane SO important. The substance will be more beneficial and will get rid of the birds (Hunting Issue). And when the birds are gone than the farmers will not have to shoot the birds, which will keep the Whooping cranes out of danger. If hunters even accidentally shoot one Whooping crane they will be fined. And if someone were to purposely shoot a Whooping crane they could get jail time (Paresh).

If hunting Sandhills is going to put another species in danger hunting them is not a beneficial idea. If hunters were to accidentally shoot a Whooping crane they could get fined because there are only 600 whooping cranes left in North America (Paresh). If the substance would work the sandhill would go away and the farmers will not accidentally shoot the other species. Even know the Sandhill crane and the Whooping look the similar there are distinct differences (Identification: Whooping Cranes & Sandhill Cranes). Don’t shoot the Sandhill cranes if you don’t want the Whooping crane in jeopardy of extinction.


Works Cited
"Common Questions." International Crane Foundation. Ron Sauey and George Archibald, n.d. Web. 08 Jan. 2015. .
Dave, Paresh. "Struggling Whooping Crane Population Loses Three to Gunfire." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 08 Feb. 2014. Web. 09 Jan. 2015. .
Davey, Monica. "Wisconsin Bill Would Allow Hunting of a Once-Rare Crane." New York Times. N.p., 24 Feb. 2012. Web. 8 Jan. 2015. .
"Hunting Issue." International Crane Foundation. Intentional Crane Foundation, n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2015. .
"Identification: Whooping Cranes & Sandhill Cranes." ERegulationscom. J.F. Griffin Media, n.d. Web. 09 Jan. 2015. .