Shocking News As 2 Men Shot & Killed A Bald Eagle In Nebraska & Had Plans To Eat The Bird

Last week, two Honduran nationals, Ramiro Hernandez-Tziquin, 20, and Domingo Zetino-Hernandez, 20, were cited for hunting and killing a North American Bald Eagle.

According to the Stanton County Sheriff’s Office, officers responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle just northwest of the main Wood Duck Recreation Area that is located about three miles southwest of Stanton, Nebraska. The vehicle was located in a field, and while making contact with the two males, it was determined that they had shot and killed the protected species in that area and stated they had planned on cooking and eating the bird.

Nebraska Game and Parks was contacted and took custody of the eagle and the rifle used to kill the protected bird. Both men were cited for unlawful possession of the eagle. Hernandez-Tziquin was also cited for not having a drivers license.

The national symbol of the United States, the bald eagle, was in danger of going extinct throughout most of its range in the mid 1900s. The species was decimated by habitat destruction and degradation, as well as illegal hunting and the contamination of their food source by the insecticide known as DDT.

According to Defenders of Wildlife, thanks to conservation efforts, the bald eagle population was able to rise from a mere 417 nesting pairs in 1963 to more than 71,400 nesting pairs and an estimated 316,700 individual birds in the Lower 48 today.

Although no longer listed under the Endangered Species Act, the bald eagle is still protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

More serious charges against both men are pending as the investigation into the unlawful killing continues.