State and federal wildlife officials are investigating the shooting of a bald eagle in East Tennessee.
The eagle was found wounded around Thanksgiving in Monroe County by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. The bald eagle was rescued in the Cherokee National Forest after surviving the shooting, according to Chron.
[quote text_size=”small” author=”– Joe Pike” author_title=”Wildlife officer with TWRA”]
It was most likely flying overhead when they shot at it. It was not something that was an unintentional thing. Someone intended to shoot this bird.
[/quote]
The eagle was shot in the leg and wing and was found with a bullet still lodged in her body, according to WRCB TV.
The eagle is now recovering at the American Eagle Foundation in Pigeon Forge. The foundation says the female eagle’s injury has recovered to the point where she can begin exercising her wing and learning how to fly again. The facility hopes that the bird can be returned to the wild within the next year, according to Local 8 Now.
Bald eagles historically ranged from Alaska to Mexico. Once a common sight, bald eagles were significantly affected in the mid-2oth century by many factors such as thinning egg shells due to DDT. The United States bald eagle population dropped from an estimated 400,000 in the 18th century to just 412 nesting pairs in the 1950s. After it was placed under protection in the 1960s and the pesticide DDT was banned, the eagle’s numbers have rebounded. The eagle was removed from the endangered species act in 2007 but remains federally protected.
Bald eagles are protected under the federal Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Violations carry a penalty of up to $100,000 and a prison term of up to one year.
The $10,000 reward is offered for information that leads to a conviction in the shooting. The reward includes $5,000 offered by The Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust.
