Massive cash reward offered for the capture of assassin who shot and killed a majestic bald eagle, the country’s national bird featured at the center of the presidential seal
Wildlife officials in Louisiana are offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to a conviction over the shooting of a bald eagle, America's national bird, in a case that has drawn national attention given the species' protected status and symbolic importance. The eagle was found injured on 5 December 2025 near Vermilion Parish and later died from a gunshot wound, prompting a joint investigation by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
The reward has been pooled from several organisations, including the Center for Biological Diversity, the Humane World for Animals, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Louisiana Operation Game Thief. Killing a bald eagle is a federal offence under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, carrying penalties of up to a $5,000 fine, a year in jail and a further $5,000 civil restitution. Bald eagle numbers, once as low as 417 nesting pairs in the lower 48 states by 1963 due to pesticides and habitat loss, have since recovered, but officials are urging anyone with information to contact the Louisiana Operation Game Thief hotline or submit tips via the LDWF app.
- $20,000 reward offered after a bald eagle was shot dead in Louisiana
- Eagle found injured on 5 December 2025, died from gunshot wound
- Killing a bald eagle is a federal crime with fines and jail time
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Bald eagles are large birds of prey native to North America and have been the national bird of the United States since 1782. They also appear on the presidential seal, and federal law protects them from being killed or harmed.
The bird was found injured near Vermilion Parish in Louisiana and later died from a gunshot wound. Louisiana wildlife officials and the US Fish and Wildlife Service are investigating; several organisations have joined to offer a reward for information leading to a conviction.
Bald eagle numbers fell sharply in the 20th century, in part because of pesticides and habitat loss, before recovering after protections were introduced. The case matters both because killing an eagle can bring federal penalties and because the species remains a prominent symbol of the country.