Someone has shot and killed a pair of endangered trumpeter swans in northwest Iowa. D-N-R Conservation Officer Gary Biederman says the two rare birds were found Tuesday near Pickeral Lake in Buena Vista County and they’d been dead a few days.
Biederman says the swans were on private property on a restored wetland, about 150 yards from the road. One had a collar. It’s believed they were a mated pair that successfully nested last year in the area. He says the fatal shots were likely delivered with a high-powered rifle.
Biederman is asking for the public’s help. He says “I take very much offense at somebody doing this. The common public might say “Well, hunters did this,” no, no, criminals did this with guns…and they should be prosecuted to the fullest.” Biederman says the D-N-R has been releasing trumpeter swans in Iowa for about ten years.
A 45-hundred dollar reward is posted for the tip that brings an arrest and conviction. Anyone with information about this crime is urged to contact D-N-R Game Warden Brent Koppie at 712-260-1010 or the D-N-R tipline at 800-532-2020.