Bald eagle recuperating while Colorado wildlife officers look for person who shot it: "We want somebody to come forward"
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is looking for information on the shooting of a bald eagle in the northern part of the Denver metro area two weeks ago.
It happened at the Croke Reservoir in Northglenn, located off Huron Street near 104th. The bird was spotted in apparent trouble and was captured by city park rangers and animal control officers.
X-rays at a wildlife rehabilitation clinic showed the bird was shot in the wing by a ball bearing. The bird underwent surgery and is recuperating.
Injuring or killing a bald eagle is illegal under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.
"There's a difference between being a licensed waterfowl hunter and being out there and just shooting at any bird that flies across the sky. And we think that this is probably a case of the latter, and we want somebody to really come forward and let us know what happened here," said CPW spokesperson Kara Van Hoose.
Bald eagles are a migratory bird in Colorado. They come through mostly in the winter to nest, lay eggs and raise their young. Bald eagles mate for life. Van Hoose says there are 350 known active nests in the state. The numbers have recovered significantly since the suspension of the use of pesticides like DDT in the 1970s. Eagle numbers rose significantly first in the 1990s, then continued to increase.
A ball bearing may have been shot from a firearm or slingshot or some other device.
"That's crazy. That's like, who would shoot an eagle?" asked Eric Sanchez, a student at Front Range Community College who was out photographing birds at the Croke Reservoir along with his girlfriend on Monday. "They're huge!" exclaimed Lindsey Reyes, who has seen eagles at the reservoir.
Van Hoose says they'd like tips to locate the person responsible.
"We want to talk to anybody who has any information, and if you don't feel comfortable leaving your name or contact info, you can also report these anonymously to us through our Operation Game Thief email and phone number."