Eleven young endangered whooping cranes are in southwest Louisiana, being prepared to join 69 adults in the wild.

The juveniles will spend about two weeks in a net-covered pen at the White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area near Gueydan (GAY-dahn).

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologist Sara Zimorski said Thursday that they’ll be counted as part of the flock once they’re released to a bigger uncovered pen, about Nov. 25.

Whooping cranes are among the world's largest and rarest birds. The 850 or so alive today all descended from 15 that lived in coastal Texas in the 1940s.

Four young birds were raised at the Audubon Species Survival Center in New Orleans, and the others at the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin.

The youngsters were taken to White Lake on Tuesday.

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