PORTLAND, Ore. — The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and local law enforcement are looking for whoever is responsible for shooting two bald eagles in the Portland area.
In both cases, reward money is up for grabs for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever did the shooting.
ODFW said a bald eagle was shot and killed at Portland International Raceway (PIR) on April 5. Another bald eagle was shot in West Linn on April 28. That raptor is recovering at Portland Audubon.
Yvonne Shaw runs ODFW's Stop Poaching campaign. Shaw said she doesn't believe harvesting was the reason the bald eagle was shot and killed at PIR.
“Sometimes it's opportunistic they just enjoy killing things… for some raptors it can be an attempt to harvest feathers or talons; there is a black market for those,” said Shaw.
On Monday, Portland Audubon announced it's offering a $1,000 reward. Then on Tuesday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service put up $2,500 more. The conservation group, Oregon Wildlife Foundation, also announced a $1,000 reward. In total, $4,500 dollars total is up for grabs for anyone who can turn in the offenders.
“It's against the law and it's against our ethics to poach these beautiful birds," said Shaw. "They are a symbol of our country and of our freedom and so people who partake in poaching are breaking laws and in this particular case it strikes home because this is our national symbol."
Since bald eagles are federally protected, the penalty for killing them can be up to $100,000 in fines and up to a year in federal prison.
As wildlife advocates try to protect a creature that has come back from the brink, to fly in our northwest skies.
“Anytime one of these animals is taken illegally it deprives other Oregonians from experiencing say an eagle in the wild," said Shaw.
The same can be said for any other wildlife killed illegally, for any reason. Officials ask that if you see or know something, say something.
Anyone with information that leads to the suspect can call 800-452-7888 for Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife dispatch.