One of two bald eagles were found dead in a field about 50 yards apart near Martinez Rd. in Thibodaux, LA. Poisoning is suspected. A GPS unit was placed near it as a size reference. Public Domain Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.For Immediate Release June 18, 2013

Contacts: Sidney Charbonnet, USFWS, sidney_charbonnet@fws.gov , 337-291-3036 Tom MacKenzie, USFWS, tom_mackenzie@fws.gov, 404-679-7291 Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, 800-442-2511

Photo available on FLICKR One of two bald eagles were found deadin a field about 50 yards apart near Martinez Rd. in Thibodaux, LA. Poisoning is suspected. GPS was placed near it as a size reference. Public Domain Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

$2,500 Reward Offered in Suspected Poisoning of Two Bald Eagles in Thibodaux, La.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries are investigating the deaths of two bald eagles in Lafourche Parish, La.

A reward of up to $2,500 is being offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the eagles’ deaths. The bald eagles were discovered in a field about 50 yards apart near Martinez Rd. in Thibodaux, La. Testing revealed the eagles had ingested large amounts of poison in late March or early April. X-rays performed on the eagles confirmed they were not shot. Bald eagles are protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, both federal and state wildlife statutes. Violations of these statutes carry maximum criminal penalties of up to $100,000 and/or one year in federal prison. Anyone with information concerning this eagle is asked to contact the USFWS’s Lafayette Office of Law Enforcement at 337-291-3036 or call the LDWF Law Enforcement 800-442-2511.