Democratic National Convention Update, Mass Violence And Gender, Success Of Whooping Crane Hatches

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Males commit 98 percent of mass shootings in the United States, and 80 percent of those arrested for violent crimes are men. Our guest looks at the role gender plays in incidents of violence. We also get the latest updates from the Democratic National Convention, and look at the success of rebuilding the Whooping Crane population in Wisconsin.

Featured in this Show

  • Day Four Of The Democratic National Convention

    President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee Tim Kaine all addressed the audience last night at the Democratic National Convention. We get a recap of the highlights on the third day of the convention, and hear about what is yet to come on the last day of the convention in Philadelphia from WPR Capitol Bureau Chief Shawn Johnson.

  • Gender And Mass Violence

    Our guest says one common factor uniting acts of mass violence in most of the recent cases is the gender of the attackers. We look at the link between gender and mass violence.

  • Conservationists Revert To A More Natural Model To Help Restore Whooping Crane Population

    It’s whooping crane hatching season and in the past, the first thing Wisconsin’s captive-raised chicks saw when they opened their eyes was a human in crane costume. This year, conservationists will rely on more natural-looking actors.

    For the first time in more than a decade, all of the chicks bred in captivity at the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo will learn to fledge and behave like a whooping crane from an actual adult crane.

    “In continually trying to learn more about how these birds learn and how we can make them successful parents in the future, basically it was decided to try something more natural,” said Anne Lacy, a crane research coordinator at the foundation.

    The foundation has been working for more than 15 years to re-establish a migratory population of whooping cranes east of the Mississippi River. The ultimate goal is to get the birds off the endangered species list.

    Lacy said the new effort relies on a partnership between other crane conservation institutions, including the U.S. Geological Service’s facility in Maryland and the Calgary Zoo, that will provide the adult cranes to serve as foster parents.

    Researchers are optimistic the move could lead to a more self-sustaining population.

    While plenty of whooping cranes are building proper habitats and laying fertile eggs, they’re not helping chicks fledge — develop their wings muscles for flight — and make it out on their own. It takes about 90 days before the chicks fully fledge, a vulnerable period in which the ground nests are exposed to predators and disease.

    “There’s real subtleties that real cranes can teach chicks when they’re with them 24/7,” Lacy said. “And so I think that’s the big thing right now. Maybe we’ll try something different to see if these birds will be different parents if they can get chicks to fledge.”

    The International Crane Foundation pioneered many of the crane costume techniques now used throughout the world. The strategy will continue at other conservation facilities.

    Lacy added that the foundation is leading a series of hunter-education campaigns to make sure the cranes aren’t being killed for mistaken identity. Given how low the overall whooping crane population is in some parts of the country, she said losing just one adult makes a huge difference in their conservation efforts.

Episode Credits

  • Rob Ferrett Host
  • Veronica Rueckert Host
  • Haleema Shah Producer
  • Veronica Rueckert Producer
  • Marika Suval Producer
  • Shawn Johnson Guest
  • Melissa Batchelor Warnke Guest
  • Anne Lacy Guest

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