WATERFORD, Maine (AP) — Maine is offering a reward up to $1,000 for information on a bald eagle found shot with six shotgun pellets lodged in its jaw, wing, and leg.
Game Warden Corporal John MacDonald said Monday the state’s warden service responded Dec. 26 to a report of a bald eagle acting abnormally on Papoose Pond in Waterford, located about 59 miles (95 kilometers) from Maine’s capital, Augusta. MacDonald said the eagle could only fly short distances, but avoided a warden’s attempt to capture and evaluate it.
MacDonald said the eagle was “very weak and less mobile” when found again days later. Wardens say X-rays showed the eagle had six shotgun pellets.
MacDonald says Maine has 734 nesting pairs of eagles, up from 21 pairs in 1967.
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