Redacción.- Las authorities of the United States reported that they are investigating two Hondurans accused of killing a bald eagle last February.
The suspects are Ramio Hernández Tziquin and Domingo Zetino Hernández. Both 20 years old and residents of Norfolk, about 180 kilometers north of Lincoln, the capital of Nebraska.
“We believe that (the two Hondurans) are here illegally after consulting with United States ImmigrationStanton County Sheriff Mike Unger said.
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Sheriff Unger complained about the lack of cooperation federal to solve the case discovered last February 28 by bailiffs in the Wood Duck Recreation Area, near Norfolk.
According to the statement, that day someone alerted to the presence of a “suspicious vehicle” in the Wood Duck Recreational Area. When the sheriffs responded, they found two Hondurans and the eagle inside the immigrants’ vehicle.
“Further investigation revealed that the two had shot and killed the protected national bird in that recreational area. They stated that they believed it was a vulture and planned to cook and eat the bird,” Unger said.
The Hondurans “also cut off the bird’s legs, with the intention of turning the claws into ornaments.”
They seized the eagle and the rifle
Agents with the Nebraska Wildlife and Parks Commission seized the eagle as the rifle to compressed air used to kill the bird. They also found a compressed air pistol and other items that the compatriots had.
The Hondurans could face federal charges under the Eagle Protection Law, passed in 1940 and reapproved in 2007.
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According to local media, by convicting them they could receive a one-year prison sentence and a $100,000 fine each.
However, experts on the subject pointed out that if they respond to state charges, they would be accused of illegal possession of the body of a protected bird. It contemplates a maximum sentence of one year in prison.