The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement has opened an investigation into two suspected illegal immigrants who allegedly killed a bald eagle with the intent of cooking it and eating it for dinner.
According to the Stanton County Sheriff's Office in Nebraska, two men were found with "a dead North American Bald Eagle in their possession" last month. Officers were initially responding to a suspicious vehicle near the main Wood Duck Recreation Area.
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The sheriff's office said an investigation found that the men had shot and killed the protected bird and had plans to cook and eat it for dinner.
The men were identified as Ramiro Hernandez-Tziquin, 20, and Domingo Zetino-Hernandez, 20. According to the sheriff's office, they are Honduran nationals.
They were cited for unlawful possession of the eagle, but more serious charges are still on the table, according to SCSO.
"Hernandez-Tziquin was also cited for having No Drivers License," SCSO said. The lack of identification led to suspicion regarding the citizenship status of the men.
"The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement has an open investigation into this incident, and has been working actively with the Stanton County Sheriff’s Office and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission since the day it occurred. The Office of Law Enforcement is currently in possession of the air rifle and the eagle," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Acting Deputy Assistant Regional Director of the Office of Communications Joe Szuszwalak told the Washington Examiner.
"Due to the nature of active investigations, we are unable to comment further at this time," he added.
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Killing the animal violates The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940. The law makes it illegal to "take, possess, sell, purchase, barter, offer to sell, purchase or barter, transport, export or import, at any time or any manner, any bald eagle ... [or any golden eagle], alive or dead, or any part (including feathers), nest, or egg thereof."
Punishments for the crime can include a $100,000 fine, imprisonment for one year, or both.
"Penalties increase substantially for additional offenses, and a second violation of this Act is a felony," per the agency.