Bald Eagle Shot In New Lisbon:Reward Offered

On Saturday, April 25th a young, female bald eagle was found with a gun shot wound in her wing on the side of Williams Road in New Lisbon.  The bird was in poor condition: starving, dehydrated and stuck with porcupine quills.

The eagle was transported by a  New York State Department of Conservation officer to Wildlife Rehabilitator Wes Laraway who treated her.  Ultimately, the bird was transported to Cornell’s Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Health Center for further treatment where she received a partial amputation of her wing.  Because she can't fly, she is no longer releasable into the wild and will become an educational bird.

Laraway, with the help of others, is offering a reward of $1000 leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for shooting the bald eagle.  According to U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services Law Enforcement, bald eagles are protected under the federal Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Maximum penalties under these statues are $100,000 and $15,000 respectively with possible imprisonment of up to one year.

If you have any information about the shooting of this bald eagle, please call the DEC hotline at 1-877-457-5680