MILTON — A mature female bald eagle discovered shot in the beak died of lead poisoning March 15 at Milton’s Hoo’s Woods Raptor Center after being found in Dane County.
There is a $1,000 reward for information that results in the conviction in this case.
The eagle was found shot March 14 near the village of Brooklyn in Dane County and brought to the animal rehabilitation center for care. It is unknown when, exactly, the bird was shot.
Hoo’s Woods founder Dianne Moller posted to the organization’s Facebook page that the X-ray shows the pellet lodged in the eagle’s beak into the nasal cavity.
On top of that, the eagle was critically ill with a high level of lead poisoning (too high for the analyzer to read) likely from ingesting another animal shot with lead.
The effects of lead left her to weak to stand, with vomiting, difficulty breathing and seizing.
Less than 24 hours later the eagle died in the rehab center’s hospital.
Not only did she lose her life, but any future babies she may have hatched- evident from her brood patch. Everything about this was preventable, Moller wrote.
Shooting a raptor is a felony and lead poisoning can be avoided by choosing alternative metals.
If you know anyone that shot an eagle near the Brooklyn area or anywhere for that matter, please call the DNR or text the DNR tip line at 1-800-847-9367. You will remain anonymous.
