A bald eagle was recently shot along with four other protected birds in the area, and we are concerned. 

In 29 years of working with injured wildlife, Susan Ahalt of Ironside Bird Rescue had previously only seen a few protected birds with bullet wounds. But in the last few months, she’s had five, she said. 

The cases are currently under investigation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Wyoming Game and Fish Department. We believe this is something everyone needs to be aware of so that the chances of finding the person or group responsible improve. 

Just one case is bad enough, but to have five in a short amount of time is inexcusable. 

Most recently, a bald eagle was shot and later taken to Ironside Bird Rescue. The bird died, but not from the bullet wounds. Instead, it died from an equally preventable cause: lead poisoning after ingesting shotgun fragments from another animal that had been killed by a hunter and left behind.

Not only is this wasteful, it is also animal cruelty. A death by lead poisoning is a painful experience, one that no animal — domesticated or wild — should have to experience.

We encourage hunters to make sure not to leave shotgun shells and shot animals behind, particularly if the dead animals contain lead fragments.

We are not speaking against hunting as a whole. We recognize it is a useful tool for wildlife management and that hunting plays a big role in many people’s lives. 

Hunting can be an excellent sport for enjoying the outdoors and appreciating all that Wyoming has to offer.

But shooting bald eagles and other protected species goes against what we value as Americans, Wyomingites and outdoor enthusiasts.

“People can’t just go out and randomly shoot what they want; they are protected birds,” Ahalt said, and we completely agree.

We all know the national significance of bald eagles, and we believe shooting one of them is akin to stomping on an American flag. 

The other protected birds that were shot recently were red-tailed hawks and rough-legged hawks — both are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.

When Congress passed the treaty, it codified a treaty already signed with Canada (then part of Great Britain) in response to the extinction or near-extinction of many bird species that were hunted either for sport or for their feathers, according to Audubon. In the last 100 years, the treaty has saved millions, if not billions, of birds. 

“It irritates me, these birds do not look like a duck or pheasant — they don’t look like them at all,” Ahalt said, and we agree. There is a clear difference between these species and the ones that are OK to hunt. 

It’s a sad story to report, but even this cloud has a silver lining. 

Fortunately, Park County is home to talented and caring people such as Ahalt, and we are fortunate to have those services nearby for when four-legged or winged residents are in need. 

It is thanks to her efforts that some of the wrongfully shot birds have been able to have a happy ending, such as one lucky red-tailed hawk that recovered from being shot and is on its way to a ranch near Meeteetse to assist a rancher in ridding the area of pests. 

We strongly urge anyone with information regarding the shooting of protected species to contact U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agent Steven Stoinski at 307-332-7607 (Lander) or Special Agent Bo Stone at 307-527-7604 (Cody). Callers do not have to identify themselves, and rewards are often available for information leading to a conviction.