LANSING, Mich. — State conservation officers say two men have confessed to shooting an eagle in Manistee County last weekend. The eagle was taken to a rehabilitation facility in Leelanau County. Wings of Wonder executive director Rebecca Lessard says it had to be euthanized because it was too injured to recover and "was not a surgical candidate."
The shooting was reported to the DNR's Report All Poaching tip line on Saturday morning. Two fishing guides heard a gunshot and saw the eagle fall out of the sky near the Manistee River in Brown Township. Conservation officers say the suspects are 53 and 24-year-old men from New Boston in the Detroit area. They say the men claim they thought the eagle was a goose until after they shot it and that they didn't call to report it because they had no wireless service.
The DNR will send a report to the Manistee County prosecutor's office. The prosecutor will decide if the suspects will face criminal charges.
The DNR's Report All Poaching line is 800-292-7800. Dispatchers are available around the clock.
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