Officials offer $6,000 to find poacher who shot dead family of divers in Washington state

Washington Wildlife officials are trying to get to the bottom of an unusual poaching case involving a family of loons who were shot and left to fend for themselves over the weekend. They say the protected birds were killed in Okanogan County in the northeastern part of the state, where the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife last count showed just 12 known breeding pairs. The latest poaching incident brings that number down to 11.

Several conservation groups, including Delta Waterfowl and the Washington Waterfowl Association, are supporting WDFW in the investigation. Together, the six groups are offering a $6,000 reward for any information leading to a conviction.

Officials said they found the dead divers on June 22 after a citizen found the birds’ carcasses floating near Beaver Lake in the Colville National Forest.

“With the help of several concerned community members, officers recovered two adult loons and one chick. A second deceased chick was reportedly seen in the lake earlier that day,” WDFW explained a press release. “Multiple witnesses reported hearing gunshots in the area the night before.”

In addition to being federally protected as a migratory, non-game species, common duikers are listed as a state-sensitive species in Washington. Killing a bird is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and fines of up to $500 per offense, and WDFW says it can add restitution of $2,000 per bird upon conviction.

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Although the birds have made a comeback in recent decades, they were believed to be nearly exterminated from Washington in 1979. WDFW says this was mainly due to habitat loss and poaching, partly due to negative public perception of fish-eating birds. Today, lead poisoning from fishing gear is the leading cause of death among casual divers a study in the Journal of Wildlife ManagementResearch shows that divers often accidentally eat lead weights because they swallow pebbles to aid digestion.

Biologists keep a fairly close eye on the birds’ populations, which have gradually increased since 1995, when only four breeding pairs were thought to exist in the entire state of Washington. As migratory birds, they spend their winters in coastal estuaries and travel inland to large reservoirs in spring and summer, where they mate and raise young. A few of these breeding grounds are west of the Cascade Mountains, according to WDFWbut most are in the state’s remote northeast, where officials counted 12 known breeding pairs earlier this year.

WDFW encourages anyone with information about the poaching incident to contact the organization via email or by calling 877-933-9847. Citizens can also submit tips anonymously via email WDFW website.