Maine game wardens are seeking information from the public regarding an eagle that was shot in the town of Waterford.

Maine Operation Game Thief (OGT) has offered a reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to a conviction of the person(s) responsible. Game wardens are asking anyone with information or knowledge of this incident to please call Maine Operation Game Thief at 1-800-ALERT-US (1-800-253-7887) or public safety dispatch in Augusta at (207) 624-7076. Callers can remain anonymous via the OGT call line.

On Wednesday December 26, the Warden Service responded to a report on Papoose Pond in Waterford for a bald eagle acting abnormally.

The eagle was only able to fly short distances but managed to elude a game warden attempting to capture it for evaluation.

A few days later, the game warden returned to the pond and located the eagle in the same area. The eagle appeared very weak and less mobile. The eagle was captured and transported to Avian Haven in Freedom. X-rays showed the eagle had been shot and contained six shotgun pellets lodged in its jaw, wing, and leg. On December 30, Avian Haven reported the eagle had died.

An exact cause of death was not given but tests suggested starvation.

Maine’s eagle population has been counted with 734 nesting pairs in 2019, according to IF&W. The numbers are up from a low of 21 nesting pairs in 1967. A survey this year documented eagle increases in all Maine counties since the last statewide survey five years ago, the state agency said.