Person Killed 13 Bald Eagles; $25K Reward Offered

FEDERALSBURG, MD — Human action appears to be responsible for the deaths of 13 bald eagles on Maryland’s Eastern Shore – the state’s largest die-off of the protected birds in 30 years, authorities say.

Maryland Natural Resources Police said there was no visible sign of wounds to the birds, so a necropsy was done at a federal lab in Oregon to help determine what killed the eagles.

Tests show the raptors did not die of natural causes, including disease, said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a statement on Thursday.

The birds were found Feb. 20 on a farm and in woods in Federalsburg in Caroline County.

Federal investigators are now focused on human causes and bringing to justice whoever is responsible for the death of the eagles. “We cannot release further details about the cause of death as such information may compromise the ongoing investigation,” the federal agency said in its statement.

A message left by Patch seeking more information was not immediately returned.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents are working with the Maryland Natural Resources Police to solve the case. A $25,000 reward is available for information leading to the arrest and conviction of suspected wildlife offenders.

Three adult eagles, two adolescents and eight young eagles were found deceased at the site. No other bird or animal carcasses were found nearby.

In August 2007, the bald eagle was removed from the federal endangered species list, says the Maryland DNR, and in April 2010, it was removed from Maryland’s list of threatened and endangered species. But federal law still prohibits hunting or possessing bald eagles, either alive or dead, punishable by a $5,000 fine and a year in prison.

Anyone with information is asked to call Special Agent John LaCorte with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Cambridge at 410-228-2476, or the Maryland Natural Resources Police Hotline at 800-628-9944.

»Photo of dead bald eagle courtesy of Maryland Department of Natural Resources