Nebraska Cops: 2 Men Hunted, Killed Bald Eagle

Deputies say Honduran nationals may not have realized it was illegal
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 5, 2023 10:00 AM CST
Nebraska Cops: 2 Men Hunted, Killed Bald Eagle
File photo of a bald eagle.   (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

A pair of 20-year-olds in Nebraska face hefty fines and possible prison time after authorities say they hunted and killed a bald eagle. The wrinkle in this case is that both men are Honduran nationals who speak no English, and it's possible they had no idea the bird was federally protected, reports CNN. Stanton County deputies investigating reports of a suspicious vehicle at the Wood Duck Recreation Area encountered the two men, who freely opened their trunk and showed them the bird, per USA Today.

Because the deputies spoke no Spanish, they used a translation app to communicate. The men first said they shot a "vulture," though it's possible the app got that wrong. The men told deputies “they intended to take it home and cook it and eat it," says Sheriff Mike Unger. Instead, they face a fine of $100,000 and up to a year in prison. State wildlife officials confiscated the eagle. The men live in Norfolk, about 100 miles northwest of Omaha. (More bald eagle stories.)

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