Friends of Animals is disgusted by Wisconsin state legislators’ creation of a legislative committee which is considering establishing a hunting season for sandhill cranes. This reckless idea, which has been shot down as a bill twice previously, aims to appease a farmers who claim the cranes damage their crops, but it would lead to dire consequences for Wisconsin’s crane population and set a dangerous precedent for other states. The hunting of sandhill cranes would be an unnecessary assault on a species that was once on the brink of extinction.

In the 1930s, hunting and habitat destruction nearly wiped out sandhill cranes in Wisconsin. By then, breeding populations of these majestic birds had already disappeared from many other states along the Mississippi and Atlantic flyways. Only through federal protections, such as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, were sandhill cranes saved from the brink of extinction. To undo this hard-won conservation success for the sake of crop protection—a problem for which there is no proven hunting solution—is not just short-sighted; it’s appalling.

According to the University of Wisconsin-Extension, there is no existing research demonstrating that hunting permits are effective at controlling crop damage caused by sandhill cranes. Moreover, conservation scientists and groups like the International Crane Foundation (ICF) have expressed serious concerns about the impact of hunting on crane populations.

Sandhill cranes are slow to reproduce, with each pair producing only one surviving hatchling every three years on average. Hunting would devastate this delicate balance, threatening to undo decades of conservation work. And let’s not forget the very real risk to endangered whooping cranes, who often flock with sandhill cranes and could easily be mistaken and shot by hunters.

This consideration of a hunt to kill sandhill cranes is nothing more than a death sentence for a species that has already fought its way back from near-extinction.

Take Action: Contact committee chair Rep. Paul Tittl today and demand he oppose a hunt. Tell them that Wisconsin’s wildlife should be protected, not persecuted, and that we must prioritize proven, non-lethal solutions to crop damage. Together, we can stop this proposal and keep sandhill cranes safe for future generations.