The reward for information leading to a conviction for the illegal killing of four bald eagles in northern Arkansas has increased to $15,000.
According to the Center for Biological Diversity, they are boosting the reward by $10,000. In April, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services announced at $5,000 reward.
Will Harlan, a senior scientist at the Center states “We grieve the senseless and illegal killing of these majestic birds and want the perpetrator brought to justice. This cowardly act against America’s national bird can’t go unpunished. I hope someone steps forward with information.”
A joint investigation by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that the bald eagles were shot between mid-January and mid-February. Evidence suggests the birds were shot from County Road 3021 near the rural town of Pyatt, in Marion County, Arkansas, in the southern Ozarks.
In addition to the bald eagles, authorities found red-tailed hawks, a domestic dog and white-tailed deer in the vicinity that had also been shot and killed.
Bald eagles are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. Violations of these acts carry maximum criminal penalties of up to a $250,000 fine and two years in federal prison.
Bald eagles nest in Arkansas, and they also follow waterfowl that migrate south into Arkansas during the winter months.
Anyone with information about the killings should contact the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Conway Office of Law Enforcement at (501) 513-4470 or the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission at (833) 356-0824.
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