The Pennsylvania Game Commission is seeking the person who shot and killed a juvenile bald eagle that was found Aug. 25 along the Westmoreland Heritage Trail near the Beaver Run Reservoir in Salem.
The state game warden was dispatched to the area in response to a report of an injured bald eagle lying in the woods along the trail, but the bird died before it could be transferred to a rehabilitator, the Game Commission said.
What appeared to be a pellet shot from an air rifle and lodged in the eagle’s wing was found during a postmortem inspection of the bird. Due to the advanced infection of the wound, the eagle was likely shot more than a week prior, the Game Commission said.
Anyone with information about the unlawful shooting is asked to report it to the Game Commission’s Central Dispatch at 833-PGC-HUNT or the Operation Game Thief Hotline at 1-888-PGC-8001 or online at bit.ly/PGCOGT.