Eagle spotted in Kenai Peninsula with small trap dangling from talon
Associated Press - January 10, 2010 4:04 PM ET
KENAI, Alaska (AP) - Biologists from the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge are keeping an eye out for an eagle seen with a trap dangling from a talon.
The adult eagle has been spotted several times in the Soldotna and Sterling areas.
Liz Jozwiak, a biologist at the refuge, says that other than the trap, the eagle appears healthy.
Jozwiak says it would be difficult to catch the bird while it's flying strong, but she adds that "sometimes they get these things off on their own."
Under the Bald Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, if an eagle or other migratory bird -- such as an owl -- is lured into a trap with exposed baits, and the bird dies, the trapper is liable for federal prosecution.
