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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Whooping cranes guided home

Associated Press

CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. – Thirteen endangered whooping cranes landed safely at a west-central Florida wildlife refuge Sunday morning, finishing a 64-day, 1,200-mile journey from Wisconsin to their wintering grounds.

Following ultralight aircraft, the flock landed at Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge, officials reported. They were held up in northern Florida for six days waiting for the right weather to complete the trip.

The trip over seven states started Oct. 10 at Wisconsin’s Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. The planes have been escorting the cranes, which were raised in captivity, to teach them how to migrate. The flock is the fourth to learn the route thanks to the Canadian group Operation Migration.

The cranes, born in May, will be monitored by biologists over the winter and tracked next spring when they return to Wisconsin unaided.

On Friday, one of the cranes was euthanized at a Gainesville medical facility after it was found to be suffering from parasitic and bacterial infections.