DECATUR COUNTY, Tenn. — The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading the person who shot a bald eagle in Decatur County,
According to the TWRA, wildlife officers are investigating the shooting. The TWRA said the incident was initially reportedly around 3 p.m. on Dec. 30 off Martins Landing Road in Baths Springs.
A TWRA officer responded on Dec. 31, finding the eagle wounded but alive. The officer took the eagle to the North Madison Animal Hospital -- where they determined it had been shot.
The TWRA said the eagle's wounds were incurable, and the decision was made to humanely euthanize it.
While no longer endangered, bald eagles are still a protected in the U.S. under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The TWRA said violations carry a maximum penalty of $100,000 and/or a year in federal prison on top of state charges.
"Bald eagles are biparental, meaning it takes both parent birds to raise young. Losing one eagle likely means the failure of a nest," the TWRA said.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call the Region 1 TWRA office at 731-423-5725 or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at 615-736-5532.
