Sandhill crane shot in Oconomowoc; neighbors conflicted

OCONOMOWOC, Wis. - It was a neighborhood nuisance causing damage to cars and homes. Now, some people in Oconomowoc are sad that police put a stop to it. 

Neighborhood nuisance

What we know:

Bridget Laughlin learned to love a Sandhill crane that visited her street daily for the last month – even though this visitor caused a lot of damage. 

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"He would come in the morning, and then sometimes in the afternoon," Laughlin said. "Pecking at the trucks, really hard. At the cars, I’ve noticed too."

Bridget Laughlin

A spokesman for the Wisconsin DNR said a complaint was filed in early April. Since Sandhill cranes are a federally-protected migratory bird, the DNR reached out to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services.

A permit was issued and on Monday, April 28, Oconomowoc police came to 2nd and Maple to kill the bird. 

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What they're saying:

"There was a cop right over in this area, and then there was another shot or two. Then I saw, feathers," Laughlin said. 

Laughlin told FOX6 News she would have preferred the crane be trapped and relocated even though the crane damaged her son's truck. 

Three other people on the street told FOX6 News they were sad and upset that the police shot the crane. 

Dig deeper:

In 2019, the police chief in Portage, Wisconsin, issued an apology after an officer shot and killed a Sandhill crane. Police there said that bird was also pecking and damaging vehicles. 

Neighbor Roger Ruf believes the crane was attracted to its own reflection. Ruf said someone on the street was also feeding the crane.

"I don’t know what they could have done – maybe if the food would have been taken away it would have stopped coming – hard to say," Ruf said. 

Roger Ruf

FOX6 News reached out to Oconomowoc police. A captain told us by email an incident report should be finalized on Wednesday, April 30.