On Jan. 4, someone shot a bald eagle in the Bayou Gauche area of St. Charles Parish. The wounded 10-year-old bird was transported to the Audubon Zoo Veterinary Hospital where it later died.

The penalty for shooting a bald eagle is $100,000 and a one-year jail term, as it is listed as a threatened species. Anyone with information which leads to identifying and convicting the shooter could earn a reward of up to $50,000.

This is a small price to pay for such a symbol of our national pride.

The incident is also a sad commentary of our times, when our national bird is on the threatened species list. It actually became endangered in the 1960s and is slowly recovering. It was re-classified from endangered to threatened in 1995.

However, there is a federal Bald Eagle Protection Act, which is aimed at protecting this proud symbol of America, even to being depicted on our coins and currency.

To many people, murdering an eagle is as bad as burning an American flag.

Let’s do the patriotic thing, solve this case and bring this shooter to justice.

L’Observateur