Exciting news for admirers of the majestic whooping crane; a wild Louisiana mating pair has produced eggs for the first time in more than 70 years

Louisiana's wild whooping cranes have taken an important step in the reintroduction process, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham announced today at the 13th North American Crane Workshop in Lafayette, LA. "I am proud today to announce to you that our small population of whooping cranes is adjusting well to life in the wild and a mating pair has produced eggs in the wild for the first time in over 70 years on the Louisiana landscape," Barham said. Two eggs in a single nest are being tended and incubated by a mated pair of cranes, brought to Louisiana from the U.S. Geological Survey's Patuxent Wildlife Research Center as part of a program to reintroduce a wild population to a portion of its historic range. Biologists are observing the nest, which is located in a Cajun prairie area.

Since the reintroduction program began in 2011, 50 whooping cranes have been resettled in Louisiana. To date, 30 cranes remain; of the balance, most were lost to predators or natural health problems, and five have been confirmed as killed or wounded in shooting incidents.