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THEBACHA/FORT SMITH
An investigation has determined that a juvenile whooping crane found dead days after being injured while being banded in Wood Buffalo National Park in August did not die because of that procedure.

A whooping crane chick walks away after being released in a banding operation in Wood Buffalo National Park. A coloured identification band and a federal leg band are attached to its left leg, while a GPS transmitter is attached to its right leg. - photo courtesy of Parks Canada

Instead, a necropsy by a pathologist has found the bird – a member of an endangered species – was killed by a predator.

"The pathologist looked at the carcass and the evidence that the pathologist saw was that the crane had suffered fractured ribs and other bones and there were puncture wounds in the thorax, which is the abdomen and the chest area of the bird, and those wounds caused internal bleeding that contributed to the death," said Stuart Macmillan, manager of resource conservation with Wood Buffalo.

Macmillan added the pattern of bite wounds and trauma associated with the biting indicated a midsize carnivore killed the bird and the pathologist speculated it may have been the size of a lynx.

The possibility that the whooping crane had died as a result of the banding procedure caused great concern to Wood Buffalo National Park, and the findings of the pathologist come as a relief.

"We are pleased to know that the capture procedures didn't contribute to the cause of death," said Macmillan, although he added it is never good to lose a young whooping crane.

The necropsy was performed by a pathologist at the Canadian Co-operative Wildlife Health Centre, which is part of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon.

The crane was captured and banded on Aug. 1. On Aug. 4, the GPS that had been attached to the bird's leg indicated there might be a problem because it was not moving. The crane's carcass was recovered on Aug. 7.

During capture, it appears the chick wounded itself with one of its talons by cutting its lower mandible, which is where the neck meets the beak. A veterinarian with the capture crew stitched up the injury and provided antibiotics to the chick.

The pathologist determined the wound had been healing well.

"That wound itself did not contribute to the death of the bird," Macmillan said.

As for why the whooping crane had not been eaten by the predator, he explained adult whooping cranes may have defended the dying or dead juvenile bird after it was attacked.

Concern that the banding procedure may have contributed to the bird's demise prompted the park to look at its capture and handling procedures.

While Macmillan noted there was nothing inappropriate in the capture, he said it has been decided to add a very quick assessment to check for injury after a bird has been captured in the future.

The banding project, which has now concluded after three years, involved 31 juvenile whooping cranes several months of age when they would be three or four feet tall. They were outfitted with a telemetry device to provide information for three to five years, especially on the causes of mortality for first-year chicks migrating to wintering grounds in Texas.

The project involved Parks Canada and the Canadian Wildlife Service, along with a number of American organizations – the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Crane Trust, the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory and the International Crane Foundation.

The five-person team which captured the bird on Aug. 1 included biologists from Parks Canada and the Canadian Wildlife Service, and three people from the United States, including the veterinarian.

There are approximately 300 whooping cranes in the Wood Buffalo flock.

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