BULLOCH COUNTY, Ga. -- Two men face multiple charges after they were accused of illegally taking the bodies of dead animals from the wild, including a bald eagle.
According to the Law Enforcement Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, one of their rangers received information last week about someone in Bulloch County who said they had a dead bald eagle and was asking about having the bird mounted.
The ranger, along with investigators from the Bulloch County Sheriff's Office, went to the home and found two men suspected in the incident. The men also allegedly had an illegally-taken wood duck and two illegally-taken deer from earlier this year.
Authorities filed multiple charges against the suspects. The cause of the death of the eagle remains under investigation -- which may lead to additional charges.
Potential weapons violations are also being explored by the Bulloch County Sheriff's Office.
The bodies of the eagle and duck were both seized as evidence and can be donated to an educational institution after the case has been settled.
Most people realize that eagles are protected by state and federal laws, but all other non-game migratory birds -- which includes all common songbirds -- are also protected by the Migratory Bird Act.
