Young Cranes Moved To Mississippi

GAUTIER, Miss. (AP) - Eight young sandhill cranes have been
brought to Mississippi from the Audubon Center in New Orleans,
where they were raised in captivity after hatching about six months
ago.
The young cranes did not immediately join the 110 others on the
20,000-acre Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge.
Instead, the 4-foot-tall, 10- to 12-pound youngsters were each
fitted Tuesday a radio transmitter pack. They were placed into a
2-acre pen at the refuge to begin a socialization process.
After 30 days, the birds will be freed into the refuge.
The Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge opened
in 1975.
The refuge includes about 9,000 acres at Gautier and Ocean
Springs and about 2,000 acres at the Fontainebleau site.
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