Authorities offer $20,000 reward after bald eagle shot

ERATH, La. — Enforcement agents with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are investigating the illegal shooting of a bald eagle in Vermilion Parish.

Rescuers discovered the injured bird Dec. 5 at the intersection of Robert Road and Wilmer Road. State wildlife personnel captured the eagle and brought it in for examination, where medical staff determined it had suffered a fatal gunshot wound. The bird died shortly after discovery. Authorities sent the body to federal wildlife officials for an in-depth necropsy.

State and federal investigators have followed up on numerous leads and continue to seek additional information from the public.

Conservation groups and government agencies are offering a combined reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to a conviction in the case. The total includes $13,000 from the Center for Biological Diversity, $3,500 from Humane World for Animals, $2,500 from the federal wildlife agency and up to $1,000 from Louisiana Operation Game Thief.

Anyone with details about the shooting should call the Operation Game Thief hotline at 1-800-442-2511 or text tips to 847411 using the tip411 system. Residents can also report details through the free "LADWF Tips" mobile application. Both reporting channels operate around the clock, and informants may remain anonymous.

Killing a bald eagle is a federal crime under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. Violators face up to $5,000 in criminal fines, one year in prison and a civil restitution fine of up to $5,000.