NECEDAH, Wis. (AP) — Wildlife specialists have hope for the population of endangered whooping cranes in Wisconsin, despite a high mortality rate for the young chicks. A record 24 cranes hatched from 37 nests in Wisconsin this year, but only three chicks have survived so far. If those chicks survive to the fledging stage, the count will tie with a previous record of three surviving fledglings from 2010. Whooping cranes have struggled to successfully reproduce in the wild since a reintroduction program began in 2001. Biologists have been working to combat swarms of black flies, which have caused cranes to abandon their eggs in years past. A forced re-nesting experiment was successful this year with each pair re-nesting and eight new eggs hatching.
