A 91-year-old Sparta, North Carolina, man admitted to killing a bald eagle, a federally protected species, in a case that highlights the ongoing importance of wildlife conservation efforts.
Robert Garner Gambill pleaded guilty in federal court to violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. According to court documents, Gambill shot and killed the eagle with a high-powered rifle on June 5, 2024, near the Farmers Fish Camp Road Bridge in Sparta.
He then left the scene, abandoning the eagle’s carcass on the bank of the New River.
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Witnesses to the incident aided in the recovery of the eagle’s remains, which were then taken into custody by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A necropsy confirmed the cause of death as a gunshot wound.
The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, enacted to protect these majestic birds from extinction, prohibits the killing, capturing, or harming of bald eagles without a permit.
Gambill faces a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. He has also agreed to pay a $9,500 fine. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
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