*$2,500 Reward for Information on Bald Eagle Shooting in MS

JACKSON – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Mississippi
Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) are investigating the
shooting of a bald eagle in Stone County, Mississippi.

A reward of up to $2,500 is being offered for information leading to the
arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the
shooting.

The bald eagle was discovered in the Big Level community near O’Neal Road
and King Bee Road, southeast of Wiggins.  The investigation revealed the
eagle was shot between the dates of January 9 - 19, 2013.  Due to its
injuries, the eagle could not have flown far from where it was shot.  The
bald eagle is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the Wildlife Care and
Rescue Center.

Bald eagles are protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and
the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, both federal and state wildlife statutes.
Violations of these statutes carry maximum criminal penalties of up to
$100,000 and/or one year in federal prison.

Anyone with information concerning this eagle is asked to contact the
USFWS’s Jackson Office of Law Enforcement at 601-965-4699 or call the MDWFP
Law Enforcement Bureau at 601-432-2074.

Brad Rabalais, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, brad_rabalais@fws.gov