Bald eagle shot and killed in Tennessee. Authorities now offering $10,000 reward
.png "A bald eagle was found shot dead in Lake County, Tennessee wildlife officials said.")
A bald eagle was found shot dead earlier this month in Tennessee, and authorities are now offering a $10,000 reward for information.
The adult eagle was shot March 20 along Club House Road in Lake County, Tennessee, Wildlife Resources Agency said in a Facebook post.
It is illegal to kill bald eagles, and doing so carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine for first-time offenders, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Despite the hefty consequences, some people still target them.
In February, a bald eagle was found near a Missouri highway with two gunshot wounds, McClatchy News reported.
A driving force behind the strong protections for bald eagles is the fact that, just a few decades ago, the species was on the brink of extinction — with just 417 nesting pairs left in the lower 48 states in 1963, McClatchy reported.
Bald eagles have since recovered and are flourishing, officials say. There are now an estimated 316,700 of them in the country.
“After decades of protection, the banning of the pesticide DDT, and conservation efforts with numerous partners, the bald eagle population has flourished, growing to more than 71,400 nesting pairs,” the Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced.