CT DEEP Offering $5K Reward to Find Person Who Shot and Killed Bald Eagle

http://link.patch.com/join/3-0-subscribe?list=US_CT_MONROE_91The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Environmental Conservation Police (CT DEEP) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are seeking the public’s help for any information about a Bald Eagle that was shot in Rocky Hill.

The Humane Society of the United States and The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust are offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible or shooting this formerly endangered animal.

A citizen reported a dead eagle on Great Meadow Road in Rocky Hill on Dec. 13 near the Connecticut River. The bird was sent to the National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory in Oregon where an examination revealed that the eagle’s injuries were caused by gunshot.

In a release, the CT DEEP stated that Bald and Golden Eagles are protected under federal law by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bald Eagle, our national symbol, was on the endangered species list due to “habitat destruction and degradation, illegal shooting, and the contamination of its food source, largely as a consequence of DDT, decimated the eagle population.” Conservation actions taken by the American public helped Bald Eagles make a recovery and the birds were removed from the endangered species list in August 2007. It is still considered a threatened species.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Environmental Conservation Police’s Emergency Dispatch Center at 860-424-3333 or toll free at 1-800-842-4357 or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent at 860-871-8348.

Read more on Patch:

• Monroe’s Aquarion Water Collaborates With CT Organizations to Protect Water Reservoirs & Wildlife Habitats
• State Rep. Mitch Bolinsky Applauds Open Space Grant
• Monroe: DEEP Announces Applications for Annual Firewood Lottery

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