According to a press release issued by DEC, on August 3rd, Environmental Conservation Officer CO Small responded to a call from Suffolk County Police about a resident in Port Jefferson who had heard gunshots just prior to seeing a large bird fall out of a tree.
After a brief investigation, Officer Small and Suffolk County Police reported that they identified and interviewed a subject who claimed he neither heard shots fired nor saw large birds in the area.
While canvassing the location, ECO Small said she observed fresh fish lying on the ground, even though the subject’s residence was not near water. She also noticed an area with freshly dug dirt and a shovel. With the subject’s permission, Officer Small dug a little further and recovered a deceased osprey with visible gunshot wounds. The subject then admitted to shooting the osprey out of a tree with a 12-gauge shotgun, according to Small’s report.
In New York State, osprey are listed as a “species of special concern” and are protected under State and federal law. The suspect is facing criminal charges for the illegal take of protected wildlife, discharge of a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling, and unjustified killing of an animal.
He is scheduled to answer those charges in Suffolk County First District Court.
Photo of deceased osprey courtesy DEC.
That man who shot this bird should lose his gun license. What a jerk
Absolutely disgusting person to shoot and kill an innocent animal for no reason. Besides that this reckless individual is firing a gun in residential areas. Please give him the fullest punishment possible. People like this deserve all the karma.
should be heavily fined (for baiting) and the other charges – and lose his right to own a gun.
Hope they throw the book at this creep. He not only killed a beautiful and protected bird for NO REASON, baited it, shot his gun in a residential area and tried to lie his way out of everything. This guy is one colossal putz.
Take away his right to own a gun and if he has a hunting license at all (probably doesn’t), ban him from ever hunting.
They should put the name and face of people like this on a billboard so everyone can see who it is and SHAME him. And personally, I advocate sterilizing him so he can’t bring offspring as obnoxious and stupid as himself into the world.