Wildlife officers are now looking for the perpetrator in the shooting of a bald eagle in Summit County earlier this month.
Division of Wildlife Resources conservation officers received a report of an injured juvenile bald eagle near Henefer on April 2.
A Utah State Parks ranger and Utah Highway Patrol trooper located and captured the injured bird near the Weber River, west of Interstate 84 along the frontage road. It was transported to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah in Ogden.
Bald eagles, widely considered a symbol of the United States, are no longer considered an endangered species but are still protected by federal law.
A first offense misdemeanor can be up to $5,000 in fines and a year in prison for shooting a bald eagle. Rewards are also offered to those providing information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
Authorities encourage anyone with information on the shooting to report it by calling the Utip hotline at 800-662-3337 or through the DWR’s website.
Officials have determined that the bald eagle was shot with a small-caliber bullet that entered the right side of the bird, broke one of its wings and became lodged in its neck.
According to the DWR, the bald eagle is recovering at the center and doing well after surgery to remove the bullet on April 9.
Officials believe the bird was shot two weeks before it was found and reported.
