Bald Eagles Have Become Too Bold

According to the statistics, bald eagles have recovered so well that they have become an issue in some areas where farmers find it hard to protect their livestock farms. However, the restoration of the bald eagle in various regions of the United States is probably the greatest conservation success.

The wildlife biologists say that in some area, the bald eagles are so many that they affected conservation efforts to protect other endangered species, including cormorants and loons. In addition, the number of human-eagle conflicts have increased.

Unfortunately, these conflicts usually end badly for the birds. Although they are federally protected, some farmers resort to extreme measures and find a way to kill eagles. Poultry scientist Ken Klippen says that killing eagles is illegal. The farmers are allowed to protect their livestock farms from raccoons, coyotes, and foxes, but they can’t do anything about bald eagles.

The US authorities investigated several cases over the past few years involving the deaths of dozens of eagles. In 2015, a farmer killed an eagle in the East Penn Township. Worse, three other people from Steuben County poisoned sheep carcasses to get rid of as many as eagles as possible.

This way, the deaths would seem an accident. Also, 18 bald eagles were found dead in Delaware and Maryland last year. This bird represents the American symbol since 1782. Even so, its numbers plummeted in the 20^th century due to massive hunting, habitat loss, and pesticides.

In 1930, the bald eagles were already critically endangered. The wildlife biologists concluded that the species would soon be found just on coins. Fortunately, the eagles became federally protected in 1940, thanks to the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

This document prevents anyone from disturbing and harming the birds. Plus, the Endangered Species Act played a vital role in facilitating the recovery of the bald eagle. This species was delisted in 2007.

Nowadays, the Audubon Society Annual Bird Count has revealed that the overall population of bald eagles is climbing and projected to continue. Based on the estimates, the volunteers counted 30,000 birds in 2015.

This number is twice as high as the one in 1995. This species is widely spread across the country. The only exception is Hawaii. The experts underline that although the bald eagles have recovered, the federal officials should continue to protect and preserve them.

Image Source:Wikipedia