Portage police department apologizes after officer kills Sandhill Crane

Chief Ken Manthey of the Portage Police Department apologized to the community after an officer shot a well-known Sandhill Crane Wednesday.

In a press release, Manthey said following the incident, the department will no longer seek permits from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for harvesting Sandhill Cranes.

after he received numerous complaints that the crane had become a nuisance, by causing damage to vehicles and other property with its beak.

Authorities say the bird had been a problem for more than a year and caused damage to property multiple times.

According to the release Wednesday, the officer involved “feels very badly that citizens had to witness this incident; especially if young children observed this.”