DETROIT — Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials are asking the public for help to find what killed five bald eagles in the Upper Peninsula.

The eagles' carcasses were found between April 3 and April 17 in a single area of Garden Peninsula in Delta County, the department said Monday. The peninsula is bordered by Big Bay de Noc to the west and Lake Michigan to the east.

"The DNR is requesting tips from the public to help solve this ongoing investigation," First Lt. Mark Zitnik, the department's Law Enforcement supervisor in Newberry, said in a statement. "We can confirm that the eagles did not die from natural causes, predators, or vehicle collisions."

He said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Department and local tribes are assisting with the investigation.

Eagles are a state and federally protected species. Anyone who kills an eagle in Michigan could face 90 days in jail, a fine of $100 to $1,000, and could be ordered to reimburse the government $1,500.

Zitnik said tips that lead to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for the birds' deaths may be eligible for a cash reward.

Anyone with information about the eagles' deaths should call or text the DNR’s Report All Poaching Hotline at 1-800-292-7800. Tipsters may remain anonymous.

Other reports of wildlife killed illegally in Michigan have sparked investigations and charges.

In November 2024, an Otsego County man was charged with hunting violations and poaching deer.

In May 2024, two northern Michigan men were charged with torturing and illegally killing animals in Kalkaska County.

In December 2018, a 60-year-old Taylor man was charged with illegally killing a bull elk in Otsego County.

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