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Officials and a Native American tribe in Washington state are offering $13,750 for information leading to the conviction of whoever killed four bald eagles near a lake last week, according to local media.
Authorities tell The Seattle Times they suspect the bald eagles were shot from the trees and dropped into a Snohomish County lake, where their bodies were found floating. The incident occurred east of Granite Falls, the Herald newspaper of Everett reported.
"I've never seen anything like this in 11 years...it's egregious," Sgt. Jennifer Maurstad of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, told NBC station KING of Seattle.
Marustad told The Seattle Times it appears the birds were shot with a small-caliber rifle.
Investigators say the black market for eagle parts can be lucrative, potentially fetching hundreds of dollars, the newspaper reported. Parts could be used in things like high-end artwork or cultural ceremonies, according to The Seattle Times.
"I don't think he (the killer) had any intention of profiting from them," Maurstad told The Seattle Times. "I think it was just a spur-of-the-moment opportunity."
Without a permit, killing a bald eagle -- America's national bird -- is a serious offense.
In the United States, the bald eagle and the golden eagle are protected under multiple federal laws, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Per the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, felony convictions can lead to a maximum fine of $250,000 or two years in prison. Civil penalties are also subject to thousands in fines and imprisonment. Bald eagles are also protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Lacey Act. The bald eagle was removed from the Endangered Species federal list in 2007.
The act is also a misdemeanor under Washington state law, according to The Seattle Times.
The Stillaguamish Tribe, a Native American group based in Arlington, Wash., has pledged $10,000 toward the reward fund.
"The Tribe is shocked and offended at the wanton wastage of wildlife and supports the efforts of state authorities to investigate and prosecute this case," the tribe said in a statement Friday.
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Good! Get rid of all those stupid eagles! And NO, you are not going to catch who did it.....
The eagles aren't the stupid ones. Apparently you are.
The eagles aren't stupid, apparently you are.
Killing any animal just for sport is horrible, but killing a Bald Eagle is ten times worse! I hope they catch whoever did this and put them in jail, for the rest of their lives!
"the young boy's throw rocks at the frogs in jest....but the frogs die in earnest."
Rest in peace my majestic, feathered, friends.
Does the NRA teach gun owners that we do not kill Eagles in this country? I had only seen one Eagle until I went to Alaska a few years ago. What a beautiful sight to see so many Eagles, absolutely breathtaking!
If a bald eaghle chooses to nest on one of your trees in Florida, you are then not allowed to build on your land and the land even though can be sold becomes worthless because it was recorded in the county that this is a protected piece of land now that a bald eagle landed on it.
If this were my land and hard eraned dollars and I suddenly was prevented from building a home for my family because a goddamned bird landed on one of my trees, I assure you that I will enjoy eagle soup the instant I can.
We have become absolutely stupid about these things elevating the rights of migrating birds over citizens rights. This is what happens when you let jewish lawyers craft the law.
I don't care if it were 500 eagles that were shot. Life is tough out there and I won't choose abirds life over my own well being. Of course I don't want eagles shot for no reason because that's just sick. But lets look at why that happened. It was the law that probably threatened someone's land ownership hence the eagle kill.
If it does turn out to be a moron that just decided to kill these birds then by all means put his ass in jail or make him build an eagle sanctuary.
U r an idiot and moron.
Not to mention claiming he/she would shoot our national protected symbol. That is not coming from a bright person.
Conrad:
While we WA residents do have some stupid laws, we cannot come close to the stupid laws FL has. A golf course not too far from where I live has 3 bald eagles that visit every summer. They are huge birds, and when they start to fly off, their wings really make a noise. They are awesome to watch, be it flying around or just perched in a tree.
Maybe the guilty party/parties should be have the same fate as the eagles,that would be justice,no trial just death.
Our laws are lenient.....keeping 10 books out of the library for more than a year, will get you 6 months in jail,in a handful of Southern States, and killing an Eagle is 1 year in jail OR a fine of $5000. Look how easy BP Oil got off, and Americas major financial institututions after the Bush debacle of 2007. Look how Bush escaped charges as a War Criminal in 2008 !
I am thoroughly disgusted by this. I was camping in the Sierras in northern CA last October and while standing at my camp table I watched a Bald Eagle fly through the trees and straight down the center of the river I was near. It flew slow and majestic and it was so beautiful and I was in awe. A beautiful and majestic sight. I hope they catch this loser. :(
When caught they should be prosecuted to the full extent of the Law.
One year in Jail or a $5000. fine, under the US Criminal Code.....
4 bald eagles were shot in an illegal act. If a person has a problem they should turn it over to Fish and Game.Just think of the lives, both human and animal, if people would just turn it over to law enforcement. No more road rage, no more children killed by stray bullets, no more!!!! I often wonder if at least some of the acts are committed to get their 15 minutes of fame. Don't worry, a person who commits this type of act tells a friend, and says "Don't tell". And they tell someone else and then it gets to the police. These birds are beautiful animals who are preparing their nest lay eggs. They nurture their babies. They don't deserve to be sensely killed
but yet it's o.k. too kill a unborn baby in the united states.
eagles are just better looking buzzards that eat garbage and pick up other dead animals off the ground and eat them.
Wrong forumn, when did this become a pro-life/choice column? U sir or m'aam are also an idiot just like Conrad.
Amazes me how so many people can veer off course from the actual topic and just blabber on. Anyway, the author of this news artical is assuming that the bird killer was a male, with no evidence to support that take. I wonder why.
Sickening! As most the others on here, I hope the culprit is caught and punished to maximum extent of the law and I really hope that the penalties are not concurrent....$1 million and/or 8 years should minimize future such actions for awhile at least.
The penalty for killing a bald Eagle
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/16/668
Sick, bummer , RIP feathered relatives.
YOU have birds in your Family Tree ?
Curiously, did you post any condolences about the 20 murdered children of Sandy Hook ?
Why kill a Bald Eagle when the Spotted Owl is much tastier?
sick comment.
I pray that these idiots are caught and delt with severly for their stupidity!! They are extreme IDIOTS!! I hope they are given the hardest sentencing they can get and then some. Such extremely beautiful birds and such a beautiful symbol. I pray when they were shot the birds didn't die slowly in the extreme cold waters that they died quickly and didn't suffer at all. Its so sad to see such a awesome bird lying there. Those flippin idiots will be caught you can count on it!!
Horrible act by a human. Throw the book at them, maximum fine, maximum prison sentence. Make finding them a top priority. This cannot be tolerated. Such a beautiful bird, our national symbol. I see them frequently in the winter along the Mississippi River. They come from up north to have access to fish in the open water. Very majestic and excites me every time I see one.
I think when caught they should drown that person .i bet the next person will think twice about doing this
I'm 100% willing to bet that many of you will actually be angry with this. "An American Symbol". What a bunch of @!$%#, these Eagles, ARE MEAN, brutal, they are just as disgusting as vultures. Seriously.
Go to Dutch Harbor, Alaska. I worked there for a while on crabbing boats in the Bering Sea, (many of you have heard of this out of Deadliest Catch), anyways, there are signs all over the place warning you about Eagles, because they WILL attack you. And they will seriously hurt you, maim you, and could possibly end up killing you. They will follow you around if they see you have food, they will circle around roadkill like vultures. They are @!$%#ing disgusting.
Sounds like a symbol that represents the current state of our nation to me.
What a jerky comment ! And,other commits are just as foolish,as anyone can see that the nuts posting here are much more upset over these birds, than they were over the murder of 20 children and 6 teachers in Sandy Hook.
It's all horrible,genius. But when you start killing animals for no logical reason (except that you are a worthless piece of shyt that needs to be taken out) it really strikes a strong cord with a lot of people. As well it should,because you just might be next.
Steve-446003 you know Ben Franklin wanted the national bird to be a turkey. Maybe he was right because that fits you perfectly.
Based on how the last 4 years have gone and where the next 4 are headed, we should start a petition to make the Jack Ass our National symbol. Even that would meet resistance as the republican party would say it resembles the Democratic party's symbol. The democratic party would be against it because well, ass is associated with being a bad word. So both party's would agree and strike it down then they might see that they can work together, and the budget would get balanced, jobs would be created, stocks would go up, people would stop killing people, the new gun laws would be abolished, everyone would have health-care (I said health-care not Obama-care) The country would no longer be divided by two BS political parties and the elected politicians would vote for what's good for the people not themselves and we could be proud to see the Eagles soar and nobody would even think about killing one.
I hope they catch the native Americans who did this and banish them from the tribe.
In this tragedy people are thinking with their minds. They know the gun killed the eagles but it was the mentally handicapped person that really killed the eagles.