The DNR says this is the first time that avian flu has had this much impact on the sandhill crane population. There's a similar scene on Highway 50 near Seymour, with sandhill cranes in the marsh: both dead and alive. Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said this species is another victim of the bird flu. "It's affecting waterfowl across the whole world," Eli Fleace, wildlife biologist for Indiana DNR, said. "It's been found in multiple different countries across a lot of different continents. It's so spread out, that it's even affected penguins down in Antarctica." Fleace says 1,500 sandhill crane deaths across the state were reported to the Indiana DNR. He believes the actual number could be five times what was reported, but it's a low risk for humans to contract the disease. https://www.wthr.com/article/life/animals/sandhill-crane-bird-flu-deaths-indiana/417-09ba1bc6-2bdb-4535-bddf-3f5a575c68a3