Eagle killed in Neshoba County; the eagle found in Stone County is recovering | Crime

On Tuesday, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks (MDWFP) said a bald eagle was found with a gunshot near the Coy Community in Neshoba County. This marks the second report of a bald eagle shooting for 2013.

According to MDWFP, that bald eagle was euthanized due to severe injuries caused by a multiple shot shell pellet wound in the wings, leg and eye.

A second bald eagle was shot and injured early this year. The male was found by fire fighters in the Big Level Community just southeast of Wiggins and was picked up by the Wildlife Care and Rescue Center on January 20.

According to Director of the Wildlife Care and Rescue Center Alison Sharpe, the bald eagle has come a long way.

"When we first weighed him he was only four pounds," Sharpe said.

Sharpe said a multiple shot shell pellet is to blame for the injuries to his ulna bone, which disabled him from flying.

After a little more than a month with the Wildlife Care and Rescue Center, the bald eagle has come a long way.

"He's become very active, very aggressive and defensive, which is what we really like to see," Sharpe said.

Eating a diet of rabbits, rats and fish, the eagle has doubled his weight from when he was first found. The next step to the recovery process is getting the eagle to fly again.

Sharpe said she's waiting to hear back from the Auburn Raptor Center in Auburn, AL. They have a federally approved flight cage also know as a meu.

"They have eagle flight cages that are big enough to accommodate a bird of his size. It's also a federal requirement that he be put in a federally approved flight cage," Sharpe explained. "Before he can be taking into their facility he has to be cleared of all parasites. So we've had to deworm him a couple of times."

Once there the hope is that the eagle will build his flight muscles back. Sharpe said she believes another bald eagle that was recently spotted in Stone County may be the injured eagles mate since eagles mate for life.

There are still no leads on either of the bald eagle shootings. Thousands of dollars are being offered to anyone who provides information leading to the arrest(s) of the person(s) who shot the bald eagle in Neshoba County, as well as the one in Stone County.

Bald eagles are protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, both federal and state wildlife statutes. Violations of these statutes carry maximum criminal penalties of up to $100,000 and/or one year in federal prison.

Anyone with information concerning this eagle is asked to contact the USFWS's Jackson Office of Law Enforcement at 601-331-0292 or call the MDWFP Law Enforcement Bureau at 601-432-2074.

The Wildlife Care and Rescue Center runs on volunteers. Anyone interested in making a donation can send donations to P.O. Box 4424 Biloxi, MS 39535. All donations are tax deductible. For more information contact the Wildlife Care and Rescue Center at 228-669-2737.