A bald eagle believed to have been shot in Wisconsin last week has died in surgery. Authorities are searching for the national symbol’s killer.
The Wisconsin Humane Society took in the injured bird last Wednesday after he was found with a seriously wounded wing and injured beak “as if he’d fallen out of the sky,” the organization wrote on Facebook.
“We are heartbroken to share that the Bald Eagle — admitted to WHS last Wednesday after suffering injuries from a suspected gunshot — has died,” the Humane Society reported. “He made it through his initial surgery last Thursday, but went into cardiac arrest Monday night during a complex and specialized surgery to stabilize his fracture and further treat his injuries.”
The bird was treated at BluePearl Milwaukee, roughly 15 miles northeast of the private property where he was found.
“Despite lifesaving efforts, including CPR, he was unable to be resuscitated,” the Humane Society said.
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Department of Natural Resources officials are asking the public for tips to help locate whoever was responsible for the bird’s death. The Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act make shooting a bald eagle a federal offense punishable by fines up to $100,000 and a year in prison.
The nation’s bald eagle population in the lower 48 states dropped into the hundreds in the early 1960s, according to the Department of the Interior. That number now stands north of 316,000.
The bald eagle came to represent the United States when it was placed on the national seal in 1782.
With News Wire Services
