Faces $50,000 fine and up to one year in jail
A 52-year-old Ville Platte faces violations of the Endangered Species Act — which bring up to a $50,000 fine and one year in jail — after admitting to shooting and killing a male whooping crane in Evangeline Parish on July 25, according to a press release from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
Gilvin P. Aucoin, who was working on the land near where the crane was shot, was questioned by enforcement agents after the bird was found near a crawfish pond last week, the release states.
During questioning, he admitted to shooting the crane with a .22 caliber rifle while working on the property, according to the release. Agents seized his rifle in the investigation.
Violating the Endangered Species Act brings up to a $50,000 fine and a year in jail, the release states.
LDWF has released 125 whooping cranes since 2011 and are currently tracking 65 whooping cranes. The male crane killed in this case was released in 2011, according to the release.