The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources are investigating the shooting of a bald eagle which was recovered from the Browder Church Road area, east of Madisonville, in Hopkins County, Kentucky. The shooting apparently occurred while the eagle was perched in a tree beside Browder Church Road around January 12, 2006.
" size=A reward up to $1,000 is being offered for information which leads to the conviction of the person who shot the eagle.
" size=The eagle is currently being treated at Raptor Rehabilitation of Kentucky in Louisville, but the severity of the injuries will prevent the eagle from ever being released back into the wild.
" size=Anyone with information concerning the shooting of the bald eagle is asked to call Special Agent Bob Snow with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement, Frankfort, Kentucky at 502/695-2722 or Wildlife Officer Marcus Bowling, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources at 270/825-8497.
" size=Bald eagles are protected by the Bald and Golden Protection Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the Endangered Species Act, all Federal wildlife statutes. Violations of these statutes carry maximum criminal penalties of up to $100,000 and/or one year in federal prison.
" size=The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 545 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
