Does This Bird Live in Louisiana? Group Offers $12,000 for Proof

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You know, Louisiana isn't called "The Sportsman's Paradise" because we love bowling and badminton. It's not that those aren't real and fun sports, it's just that the nickname comes from the immense amount of outdoor sports we have access to. It would be a difficult task to find a state that offers more opportunities to hunters and anglers for one simple reason: We've got more critters than we know what to do with! Deer, ducks, fish, hogs - we've got them all! In fact, we may even have a woodpecker that top US officials say doesn't even exist!

According to a report from the Vicksburg News, there's an argument raging now between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and organizations like Mission Ivorybill on whether or not the Ivory-billed Woodpecker is still in existence. Founder and leader of the pro-woodpecker group Matt Courtman claims that not only is the Ivory-billed Woodpecker still around, but that it lives in northern Louisiana!

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Uncle Sam's official stance is that these birds went completely extinct on Sept. 29th of 2021, the same day they removed 22 other long-unseen species from the protection of the Endangered Species Act. According to Courtman, that could have dire consequences for the Ivorybill Woodpecker and its habitat. Now that the bird no longer officially exists, neither does the protected areas where it would have lived.

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In order to stop what Courtman and others are calling a "Fracturing of the Woods," the group is offering a $12,000 reward for undeniable and verifiable proof that this elusive Louisiana creature is still alive and pecking in the state. The last officially confirmed sighting was in North East Louisiana in 1934. Since then, researchers have recorded the distinctive "kent" sounding call of the bird and have even recalled seeing the mysterious woodpecker - put no concrete proof like pictures, videos, specimens, etc.

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If you have proof, or even know where some honest-to-goodness Ivorybill Woodpeckers might be - it could be worth $12,000 to the right folks. You just might spot one in the swamps and wooded areas here in northern Louisiana. If you've got some proof or information about where these things like to hang out, cash in by contacting the woodpecker lovers at info@thelouisianawilds.org or by calling 318-243-9245

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