RUSSELL COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — A Kentucky bald eagle will be euthanized due to a severe gun shot wound, according to a Wednesday morning Facebook post by Lake Cumberland State Resort Park.
On Monday, Feb. 2, Lake Cumberland State Resort Park and Lake Cumberland Wildlife Refuge Home of Liberty Nature Center rescued an injured bald eagle in Russell County.
After its rescue, the bird was evaluated by veterinarians, and state park troopers at Lake Cumberland State Resort Park hoped the eagle would make a full recovery so they could release it back into the wild.
However, that was not the case, as on Wednesday the state park announced the eagle's injuries were far too severe for recovery and that it needed to be euthanized.
"The trauma to the wing and surrounding tissue means this magnificent bird would never fly again and would suffer ongoing pain," the Facebook post by the state park wrote.
In that social media post, Lake Cumberland State Resort Park wrote that the tragedy was preventable. According to the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, shooting eagles is a federal offense punishable by fines up to $100,000 and imprisonment.
"Eagles are sacred, protected symbols of our nation's heritage," the post wrote.
All hunting is prohibited at Lake Cumberland State park, including eagles.
Now, Lake Cumberland State Resort Park is asking anyone with information about the crime to report it to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
