Fatal Manitoba bald eagle shooting 'demoralizing' for wildlife rehab staff who tried to rescue bird

When a call came in to a wildlife rehab hotline last week with a report that a bald eagle had been shot in southeastern Manitoba, staff set out hoping they could still save the protected bird.

The eagle was alive but critically injured when staff from the Wildlife Haven Rehabilitation Centre and a Manitoba Conservation officer arrived in the Grunthal area last Friday to tend to it.

But "this was a very severe injury, a gunshot that was quite intentional and catastrophic to this animal," said Zoé Nakata, executive director of the centre in Île des Chênes. 

"After doing [a] medical assessment it was determined that this animal was in huge distress and that this wound was so severe that there was unfortunately nothing that we could do."

Nakata said the eagle's death left a mark on her peers.

"When we are faced with a case like this where we know that there was an intentional goal to cause harm to this animal, it's really quite demoralizing for the team that are working so hard to try and save these animals," she said.

"I can't even think why someone would want to cause harm like that."

Following a tip from the Turn in Poachers hotline, Manitoba Conservation officers tracked down the rural municipality of Hanover man suspected of shooting the bird of prey.

He was charged under the Wildlife Act for hunting on private land without permission and for killing the eagle, which is a protected species under the act. He was fined nearly $1,200 and a high-calibre rifle was seized, the province said in a Tuesday news release.

Jamie Davison, a superintendent with the Conservation Officer Service, said the man's firearm possession and acquisition licence could also be in jeopardy, though that will be up to federal officials to decide.

Davison said in his 20-plus years of experience, the majority of reports involving injured bald eagles stem from birds being clipped by vehicles or hurt on power lines. 

People occasionally misidentify and shoot an animal, he said, and "illegal sale or trade of wildlife and eagle parts could be another motive that someone may have."

Though the shooting of bald eagles isn't very common in Manitoba, they are "from time to time" targeted, Davison said. He recalled a past investigation in Manitoba where officers uncovered "a lot of eagle feathers and claws" that were going to be sold illegally.

Conservation officials who recover dead eagles or eagle parts often provide feathers to First Nations groups and communities for ceremonial purposes, which is likely what will happen in the latest case, Davison said.

Centre tends to 'beautiful, powerful animals'

"Bald eagles are so majestic," said Nakata. "They're beautiful, powerful animals and we know that they hold such important significance in Indigenous culture."

That's why the wildlife haven often invites First Nations communities to take part in the release of rehabilitated bald eagles.

The non-profit takes in 15 to 25 injured bald eagles per year. It currently has three that are progressing to the point where they may be released soon, Nakata said.

The most common injuries are wing fractures — sometimes from collisions with vehicles — but one recently came in suffering from lead poisoning.

Predatory birds such as eagles and hawks can get lead into their system by eating prey like fish or other birds that were already suffering from lead poisoning themselves — either from consuming fishing gear or from bullets containing lead, said Nakata.

After more than a month in care, the poisoned eagle had recovered. The wildlife haven and elders from Swan Lake First Nation released it together.

"It's a beautiful opportunity for some of the elders to have a very front-seat view of a bald eagle, to this story of hope and happiness," said Nakata. 

Eagles that come in to the centre usually end up released back into the wild, where they can hopefully restore some balance to the ecosystem, she said.

"Protecting our biodiversity will even help with mitigating climate change, and really, everyone has a role to play in that," she said.

"And that's by respecting the wild animals that you come across, giving them space and trying not to have our human footprint impact too much on their habitat and ecosystem."