Exclusive: Photos Show Honduran Nationals Accused of Killing Bald Eagle

Photos, first shared with Breitbart News, show the pair of Honduran nationals accused of killing and planning to eat a Bald Eagle in Stanton County, Nebraska, as well as the rifle they allegedly used.

As Breitbart News reported, the Stanton County Sheriff’s Office arrested 20-year-old Ramiro Hernandez-Tziquin and 20-year-old Domingo Zetino-Hernandez late last month. Both are Honduran nationals whose immigration statuses have yet to be confirmed by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.

Specifically, Stanton County law enforcement responded to reports that a suspicious vehicle was sitting near the Wood Duck Recreation Area in a field. When officers arrived, they encountered Hernandez-Tziquin and Zetino-Hernandez and noticed they had a North American Bald Eagle in their possession.

Officers allege that Hernandez-Tziquin and Zetino-Hernandez shot and killed the Bald Eagle with a plan to cook and eat the federally-protected bird. Neither spoke English and only had identification cards from the Honduran consulate.

Nebraska Game and Parks officials took custody of the dead Bald Eagle and the pair’s rifle. Photos first shared with Breitbart News show the Honduran nationals soon after they were encountered by law enforcement as well as the air rifle allegedly used to kill the bird.

A photo of the Bald Eagle, law enforcement said, is too graphic to publish.

Stanton County Sheriff Mike Unger told Breitbart News that he has attempted multiple times to reach out to United States Fish and Wildlife officials to report the Honduran nationals whom the county has only been able to charge with misdemeanors.

Unger said he hopes federal prosecutors bring harsh charges against the two men.

Killing a Bald Eagle, the nation’s national bird, violates the 1940 Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, a federal law with a maximum punishment of one year in prison. As Breitbart News previously detailed, there is precedent for federal prosecutors to charge those suspected of killing or harming a Bald Eagle.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.