{"id":94479,"date":"2021-09-05T06:45:58","date_gmt":"2021-09-05T12:45:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=94479"},"modified":"2025-03-02T08:30:49","modified_gmt":"2025-03-02T14:30:49","slug":"was-the-killing-of-bob-the-sandhill-crane-really-necessary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/09\/05\/was-the-killing-of-bob-the-sandhill-crane-really-necessary\/","title":{"rendered":"Was the Killing Of Bob The Sandhill Crane Really Necessary?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ThreeThree Sandhill Cranes displaying in spring<\/span><\/p>\n

On September 2nd I became aware of a Sandhill Crane being killed by Utah’s DWR (Division of Wildlife Resources) in close proximity to the privately owned River’s Edge Campground<\/span><\/a> near Heber, UT which is east of where I live via a Facebook post. The distraught person who wrote the post witnessed the crane being killed and somehow this event also cost the life of his dog.<\/p>\n

The person wrote that\u00a0 “Bob” the Sandhill crane had pecked at the Ford pickup of a DWR officer who had recently moved in near him. This incident apparently occurred on August 27. Apparently this officer was made aware that the cranes, Bob and his mate Betty, had previously pecked at other vehicles.<\/p>\n

Someone in the Utah DWR allegedly contacted their veterinarian about the crane’s behavior and some other veterinarians at USU who, as noted in this article<\/span><\/a>, are \u201ckind of avian specialists.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kind of?<\/strong><\/p>\n

What?<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult Sandhill Crane in a field at Bear River MBR<\/span><\/p>\n

The Utah DWR and USU veterinarians somehow came to the conclusion that the Sandhill Cranes, Bob and Betty, weren’t acting normally and that the birds could potentially be exhibiting symptoms common with neurological disease, such as West Nile or some kind of toxin ingestion<\/span><\/a>. An order was given to kill the Sandhill Cranes to test them for toxins by doing a necropsy.<\/p>\n

Utah DWR officers found the cranes at the campground and they state<\/em> that the cranes took off and flew to public lands which is where Bob the Sandhill Crane was shot and killed. The female crane, Betty, escaped being shot to death.<\/p>\n

\"MatedMated pair of Sandhill Cranes in Beaverhead County, Montana<\/span><\/p>\n

I’ve been around lots of Sandhill Cranes in Florida, Utah, and Montana. In Florida Sandhill Cranes pecking at windows, mirrors, and other shiny surfaces such as the sides of a pickup truck isn’t considered “abnormal” crane behavior at all.<\/em><\/p>\n

Birds of all sizes peck at windows, shiny surfaces, and mirrors<\/span><\/a> because they see their reflection and peck at the “intruders” in their territories. This behavior is completely normal and it certainly does not indicate that the birds are ill, suffering from toxins, or that they have neurological deficits.<\/p>\n

Birders know this. Bird photographers know this. Birdwatchers know this. Why didn’t these vets and DWR officers and officials know this?<\/p>\n

Yes, a Sandhill Crane can do damage to mirrors, the side panels of pickups, or to other shiny surfaces because they are large birds.<\/p>\n

They also mate for life which can be as long as 36 years. Bob was probably just defending his mate and\/or his territory when he saw his reflection on the pickup truck.<\/p>\n

Here is an article about a crane in Florida who saw their reflection in a window in Florida. WATCH: Perturbed Sandhill Crane Attacks It\u2019s Own Reflection in a Glass Door<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

An article from Illinois<\/span><\/a> that shows a perfectly healthy Sandhill Crane attacking the shiny side of a pickup with tips on how to prevent pecking from occurring.<\/p>\n

And another from CraneWatch.org that answers the question “Why do cranes peck at peoples’ windows<\/span><\/a>” that offers tips on how to deter cranes from the same activity that Bob the Sandhill Crane was killed for.<\/p>\n

Cranes in Florida aren’t being killed because they peck on vehicles.<\/p>\n

\"MatedMated Sandhill Cranes on the auto tour at Bear River MBR<\/span><\/p>\n

I believe that Bob, the Sandhill Crane, was just doing what birds do and that Utah DWR jumped the gun and used lethal methods instead of slowing down and talking to experts in avian behavior who know that birds peck on shiny things.<\/p>\n

Cranes are well known for being territorial. Sandhill Cranes will also defend their nests, mates, and young even from apex predators such as coyotes<\/span><\/a> and gators<\/span><\/a>. Yet if you leave them alone they will leave you alone.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult Sandhill Crane in flight in front of spring storm clouds<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the other things that made me upset with Bob the Sandhill Crane being killed is that this could have been prevented. DWR could have hazed the cranes. Hazing works given time and effort.<\/p>\n

Putting plastic bags over the mirrors on vehicles can help, if they can’t see their reflection they don’t fight the “intruder” and they leave the mirrors alone.<\/p>\n

Cheap tarps thrown over the sides of shiny Ford pickups have been shown to reduce the chances of damage being done.<\/p>\n

There are more measures that could have, and in my humble opinion should have, been taken prior to killing Bob the Sandhill Crane.<\/p>\n

\"SandhillSandhill Crane family at Farmington Bay WMA<\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, fall migration is just around the corner for Sandhill Cranes in Utah. Bob and his mate Betty would have soon been on the wing to their wintering grounds. Was that fact even taken into consideration before Bob was killed for doing what birds do?<\/p>\n

In the spring measures could have been taken to make sure Bob and Betty moved some place where they wouldn’t have become so accustomed and acclimated to human presence.<\/p>\n

For Bob the Sandhill Crane it is too late.<\/p>\n

Was the killing of Bob the Sandhill Crane really necessary?<\/p>\n

I honestly don’t think it was. The nuisance animals in this case, were the humans, not the cranes.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Notes:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. I have no information on how the dog of the original poster on Facebook was killed and can’t provide any further information on that.<\/li>\n
  2. The names Bob and Betty were given to the cranes by the people who have enjoyed watching them just being cranes for several years.<\/li>\n
  3. I\u0336 \u0336h\u0336a\u0336v\u0336e\u0336 \u0336n\u0336o\u0336t\u0336 \u0336s\u0336e\u0336e\u0336n\u0336 \u0336t\u0336h\u0336e\u0336 \u0336t\u0336o\u0336x\u0336i\u0336c\u0336o\u0336l\u0336o\u0336g\u0336y\u0336 \u0336r\u0336e\u0336s\u0336u\u0336l\u0336t\u0336s\u0336 \u0336f\u0336r\u0336o\u0336m\u0336 \u0336t\u0336h\u0336e\u0336 \u0336n\u0336e\u0336c\u0336r\u0336o\u0336p\u0336s\u0336y\u0336.\u0336\u00a0<\/span> The original poster on the death of Bob the Crane has seen the results of the necropsy. Bob the Crane did not have West Nile and he was not sick in any way.<\/li>\n
  4. I’ve always said that I feel obligated to speak for those who can’t speak for themselves. Today, I am speaking for Bob the Sandhill Crane.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Sandhill Crane photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    One of the other things that made me upset with Bob the Sandhill Crane being killed is that this could have been prevented.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":141052,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[124,1513,27,1148,223,1022,697,12,450,26,2486],"tags":[4004,4259,4226,5522,4101,3535,2158,3823,3132,779,1124,4052,4122,12246,12247,4094,2240,4069,2139,4518,165,12245,2315,4480,4095],"class_list":["post-94479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge","category-beaverhead-county-montana","category-avian","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-centennial-valley","category-davis-county-utah","category-farmington-bay-wma","category-montana","category-sandhill-cranes","category-utah","category-wayne-county","tag-adult","tag-antigone-canadensis","tag-behavior","tag-breeding-display","tag-clouds","tag-courtship-behavior","tag-courtship-display","tag-crane","tag-cranes","tag-displaying","tag-field","tag-flight","tag-flying","tag-killed","tag-killing","tag-marsh","tag-mated-pair","tag-mountains","tag-pair","tag-sandhill-crane","tag-spring","tag-storrm","tag-summer-3","tag-utah-dwr","tag-wetlands"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/sandhill-crane-in-flight-wayne-county-mia-mcpherson-6304.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-ozR","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":36801,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/03\/07\/a-pair-of-sandhill-cranes-calling-in-flight\/","url_meta":{"origin":94479,"position":0},"title":"Pair of Sandhill Cranes Calling in Flight","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 7, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I was photographing a pair of cranes foraging on the ground when a pair of Sandhill Cranes calling in flight flew over and I took a series of images of them.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pair of Sandhill Cranes calling while in flight over Bicknell Bottoms Wildlife Management Area in Wayne County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/sandhill-cranes-flight-mia-mcpherson-6853.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/sandhill-cranes-flight-mia-mcpherson-6853.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/sandhill-cranes-flight-mia-mcpherson-6853.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/sandhill-cranes-flight-mia-mcpherson-6853.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":115246,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/08\/18\/kamas-valley-sandhill-crane-photos\/","url_meta":{"origin":94479,"position":1},"title":"Kamas Valley Sandhill Crane Photos","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 18, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday, on the way to the Uinta Mountains, April Olson and I looked for birds in the Kamas Valley. 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