Reward Offered Following Maryland Deaths of 13 Bald Eagles
Released by Catherine Kilduff, Center for Biological Diversity
The Center for Biological Diversity is offering up to $15,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case of 13 bald eagles that were killed and found on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The pledge, along with contributions from the Humane Society of the United States, the Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust, the Phoenix Wildlife Center Inc. and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, pushes the total reward to $25,000. The 13 dead eagles were the most deaths attributed to a single incident in Maryland in more than 30 years. The eagles were discovered over the weekend, and officials suspect they may have been poisoned.
“These 13 bald eagles deserved better than to be killed,” said Catherine Kilduff, a staff attorney at the Center. “Bald eagles have been a remarkable story of national conservation and recovery over the past 40 years, but clearly there’s more work to be done. If they were poisoned or shot, the heartbreaking deaths of these 13 bald eagles is a crime. Those responsible need to be caught and prosecuted.”
Killing a bald eagle is a violation of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The US Fish and Wildlife Service is tasked with enforcing the laws, which contain provisions calling for civil penalties, criminal penalties, or prison time for violations involving the killing of bald eagles. Anyone with information may contact the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement in Cambridge, Maryland, at 410.228.2476, or the Maryland Natural Resources Police Hotline at 800.628.9944.
“For many Americans the bald eagle represents freedom and strength. The unthinkable death of 13 birds at once stands in stark contrast to the ideals this majestic wild animal personifies,” said Kilduff.
Bald eagles were taken off the endangered species list in 2007 thanks to 40 years of conservation efforts. Their remarkable recovery was due to a ban on the use of DDT and the protection of eagle habitat under the Endangered Species Act, including nesting sites and summer and winter roosts.
The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 990,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
More information on the Center for Biological Diversity is online at www.biologicaldiversity.org.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service is online at www.fws.gov.
