The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Environmental Conservation Police and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are asking the public for 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 leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible.
On Dec. 13, a citizen reported a dead eagle on Great Meadow Road in Rocky Hill in the area of the Connecticut River. The recently killed immature bald eagle was sent to the National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory in Oregon where a preliminary examination indicated that the eagle’s injuries were caused by gunshot. Immature bald eagles lack the distinctive white head of the adults.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement and State Environmental Conservation Police are jointly investigating the incident. Bald and golden eagles are protected under federal law by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The bald eagle is also listed as a threatened species under the State of Connecticut’s Endangered Species Act.
The Humane Society of the United States and The Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust works with state and federal wildlife agencies to offer rewards of $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of suspected poachers.
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.
