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The Nonessential Whooping Crane

10,000 Birds

Over the winter, the universe lost four whooping cranes to what appears to be recreational shooting: three gunned down together in Georgia on December 30, 2010, and another in Alabama on January 28, 2011. So we can squawk at the state wildlife departments all we want, but the USFWS has the final say. Now, it’s time to go to the top.

2011 244
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Comebackers

10,000 Birds

Fish and Wildlife Service. However, the age of the Golden Gooney was to come to a brutal end; beginning in the late 1800′s, they were being slaughtered by the millions for their feathers at their breeding colonies. In 2011 their population was estimated at over 3,000 individuals, increasing steadily at 5-8% every year.

Albatross 230