European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 23, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The whooping stepping Back from the abyss of extinction by James Phillips associated press he Majestic White Birds Rise from for ested bogs of the North and West spiral ing higher and higher above the Spruce and Tamarack before turning South to ride the wind the length of the continent. From Earth the whooping cranes re semble Black tipped crosses moving across the sky. Their Clarion Calls fill the heavens with a Windsong of trumpets. The flight takes them from Northern Canada across the great Plains to Texas Gulf coast a 2,450 mile journey marking the changing of the seasons. But this autumn s migration differs markedly from those of past years. More endangered whoop ers Are flying South than at any time in recent history the whooping Crane once believed doomed to extinction has stepped Back from the abyss. From a record Low of 14 whoppers in 1939, at least 114 survive today 69 adults and nine Young that comprise the primary flock nesting in the Northwest territories five immature Birds and at least five fledglings forming a new flock in Idaho and 26 Cap Tive cranes. So dramatic has been the Whooper s recovery in the past decade that or. Ray c. Erickson of the . Fish and wildlife service says the Whooper s future looks very  but the optimism is tempered by caution. The comeback is in Large measure attributable to Man s eleventh hour efforts to save the species efforts that included performing the Crane s most intimate functions. The question now is whether or not the Whooper will be Able to do for himself what Man has done for him. Reluctant females have been artificially inseminated eggs have been stolen from nests and Foster parents have raised Young extreme measures considered essential to save a species doomed by both nature and advancing civilization. Authorities estimate 1,000 to 2,000 whoppers inhabited North America when the pilgrims stepped ashore the last survivors of a Breed that flourished 500,000 years ago in the Wake of the last ice age. Fossil records disclose the Bird was found from coast to coast from the Arctic to Mexico. The popu lation explosion stemmed from the Broad marshes and Savannah created by the retreating glaciers. The wetlands provided Ideal habitat for the spindly legged Bird. It spends most of its time wading in shallow water in search of food Small Crusta ceans reptiles and fish. But the wetlands gradually were claimed by for ests. As their habitat shrank so did the number of whoppers. The slow evolutionary process doomed still an endangered species Whooper resting after emerging from its Shell. Sunday october 23, 1977 doily Magazine the species. The coming of the White Man accelerated the demise. Hungry settlers swarming across the continent destroyed the remaining habitat. Marshes were drained and grasslands were slowed under. Throughout prime nesting areas in Illinois North Dakota Iowa and Minnesota and on major Winter ing ground in Western Louisiana the Story was the same. The arrival of the White Man signalled the de parture of the Whooper. In addition turn of the Century Hunters killed the Whooper for plumage. Egg collectors plundered nests. Some shot the Bird for food. Others killed out of curiosity to get a close look at the rare and Beautiful Crane. The Whooper s attraction is understandable. It is striking in appearance Snow White Plu Mage garnished with a splash of Crimson across the forehead and Cheeks. Adult males stand four feet High tallest Bird in North America. In flight Black wingtips contrast sharply with White body. But the regal bearing failed to save the species from impending doom. In 1913, or. William t. Hor Naday of the new York zoological Park wrote this splendid Bird will almost certainly be the next North american species to be totally exterminated the last survivors held out by nesting in a Remote and inhospitable Region of the Northwest Territo Ries. They wintered along Texas Gulf coast where sparsely settled tidal marshes stretched for Miles enabling the cranes to escape the close proximity of Man. The wintering grounds ultimately were protected by the establishment of Arkansas National wildlife Refuge. The nesting grounds fell within the boundaries of Canada s Wood Buffalo National Park. Biologists hoped increasing Protection would enable the species to naturally rebuild its numbers. But the recovery process was slow. The 1939 Winter census found Only 14 whoop ers on the Texas coast. At the end of world War ii authorities counted Only 17 Birds an increase of three in eight years. Ten years later the population was 28. In 1965 whoppers totalled Only 44. The slow increase prompted authorities to extreme measures. In 1967 biologists began annual raids on the nesting grounds to steal Whooper eggs. The eggs were taken to the a Tuxen wildlife re search Center in Maryland and hatched in incubators. The Chicks matured forming a Breeding flock. But even these Birds proved troublesome. The Nat ural Fertility rate was so Low that biologists were forced to artificially inseminate females. Critics who wanted preservation efforts focused on the wild population castigated the flock arguing captive  represented a new form of poultry. The master stroke came in 1975. . And Canad an wildlife biologists sought to establish a second wild flock by launching the Foster Parent program Whooper eggs were placed in Sandhill Crane nests at Grays Lake National wildlife Refuge in Idaho. Biologists Hopes for the Whooper s future rested on whether the closely related san Hills would accept whoppers As their own. The san Hills proved excellent parents Rais ing the adopted Young and guiding them South for the Winter at Bosque Del Apache National wildlife Refuge in new Mexico. A migratory tradition was begun. To Date five whoppers have completed the Idaho new Mexico journey. At least five More Are expected to make the flight this fall. The initial flights represent a Milestone in the Whooper s struggle for survival. Several years Mast elapse before it will be known if the immature whoppers will nest and guide their own offspring South to new Mexico cementing a tradition that could link generations of whoppers. Authorities Hope to create at least two More new flocks by having impressionable Young whoppers follow the established traditions of Sandhill cranes the next Effort Calls for developing an Eastern popu lation nesting in either Manitoba or Minnesota and wintering in Florida Erickson says. Until at least four distinct flocks Are established the Crane s future is not secure he adds. Yet the Outlook has never been More optimistic even among professionals who habitually Issue guarded predictions. As Keith m. Schreiner associate director of the . Fish and wildlife service views it we Don t think we be overcome All the obstacles yet. The Whooper is still endangered but it s made one More step toward  new York times the stars and stripes Page 9