$1,000 Reward Offered For Details On Maine Bald Eagle Shooting

WATERFORD, Maine (CBS/AP) — Maine is offering a reward up to $1,000 for information on a bald eagle found shot with six shotgun pellets lodged in its jaw, wing, and leg.

Game Warden Corporal John MacDonald said Monday the state's warden service responded Dec. 26 to a report of a bald eagle acting abnormally on Papoose Pond in Waterford, located about 59 miles (95 kilometers) from Maine's capital, Augusta. MacDonald said the eagle could only fly short distances, but avoided a warden's attempt to capture and evaluate it.

MacDonald said the eagle was "very weak and less mobile" when found again days later. Wardens say X-rays showed the eagle had six shotgun pellets. It's believed that the eagle died of starvation around Dec. 30.

MacDonald says Maine has 734 nesting pairs of eagles, up from 21 pairs in 1967.

(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)