OAN’s Geraldyn Berry
7:50 AM – Saturday, July 8, 2023
A suspected poacher in Pennsylvania has turned himself in to the Game Commissions after reportedly shooting a protected bald eagle, according to a Facebook post made by Mount Pleasant Township Police.
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“We wanted to thank the community and public for all the sharing of the posts as we believe this gained the attention of the person who did surrender for questioning,” Mount Pleasant police said.
Authorities had published a security photograph of a white SUV near where the incident took place.
Residents had tipped the police after discovered the murdered bird of prey near the Cherry Valley Dam, roughly 40 miles southwest of Pittsburgh.
Following the discovery of the slain bird, State Game Warden Sgt. Matt Kramer had announced an autopsy to find the cause of death.
“We’re going to use a local veterinarian to X-ray the bird, and that will give us more clues on what the cause of death could have been on this possible majestic bird that died,” Kramer said.
The autopsy by the veterinarian had revealed one round still inside the bird, confirming a shooting had taken place.
The eagle had been one of two adults in the neighborhood, newly hatching two, and had reportedly been in the area for nearly two decades.
According to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, bald eagles were removed from the Endangered Species Act in 2007, although the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act still forbid injuring, killing, or selling eagles, their nests, or their eggs.
With authorities not releasing a name, it is speculated by residents in the neighborhood whether or not the suspect was charged for the crime.
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