FALLS CHURCH, Va., March 11 (UPI) — Authorities are seeking a suspect in the deaths in Maryland of 13 bald eagles after an analysis revealed they did not die of natural causes.
The birds were found Feb. 20 on a farm near Federalsburg, Md., and while results of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service necropsy, released Friday, did not specify a cause of death, it ruled out natural causes.
That a cause such as avian flu has been ruled out is significant for Maryland’s Eastern Shore, with many poultry farms and migratory birds. It also turns the investigation toward finding and prosecuting whoever killed the birds, which showed no evidence of trauma.
“Our investigation is now focused on human causes and bringing to justice the person(s) responsible for the death of these eagles,” the Fish and Wildlife Service said in a statement.
A consortium of federal agencies and wildlife advocacy organizations has offered a $25,000 reward leading to the arrest and conviction of the killers.
Bald eagles are no longer considered an endangered species, but are protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Anyone found harming the birds can be fined up to $100,000 and imprisoned for up to one year.
