The fatal shooting of three rare whooping cranes is a tragedy that makes hunters cringe because they are often judged by the actions of irresponsible gun owners, a gun safety expert said.

“Your legal bird hunters, deer hunters, they hate this kind of thing happening,” said Lt. Jerry Green, the Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office training commander. “There are a lot of folks who do have guns who are irresponsible. People who take the time and who know how to hunt, they’re not the kind of people who are going to do something like that.

“They know people judge the majority by the minority sometimes.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported this week that preliminary tests indicate that the three cranes found dead Dec. 30 in Calhoun County were shot.

The deaths represent 3 percent of the 100 birds who take part in the rare bird’s eastern migration, and nearly 1 percent of the 400 wild whooping cranes in the world.  

The cranes found Dec. 30 were last tracked Dec. 10 in Hamilton County, Tenn., where they roosted for the night.

A reward of $12,500 has been offered for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the person or persons responsible for the deaths.

“If and when they are caught they will remember this, I guarantee you that,” said Green, who teaches a gun safety class and is a former hunter. “I still say we are talking about a small minority of people with guns who would do something like this. I just can’t imagine people who would do a thing like this.”

Green also warned gun owners about the illegality of shooting other endangered birds, including water birds, eagles and hawks and even the often derided turkey buzzard, which also is a member of the raptor family.

“I would  caution people, they are protected and you are breaking the law if you kill one of them,” he said.

Information on the deaths can be reported to Terry Hasting, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agent, at (404) 763-7959, or to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ 24-hour hotline at 1-800-241-4113.

The killings of the birds could be prosecuted under either the Endangered Species Act or the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, said agency spokesman Tom Mackenzie. Under the former the maximum penalty would be a $50,000 fine and one year in federal prison, and under the latter a maximum $15,000 fine per incident and a year of federal time.