Overview
- The eagle’s carcass was found in February on a La Mancha estate inside Castilla-La Mancha’s protected network that includes Natura 2000 sites.
- Guardia Civil agents detained an unnamed watchman who worked at a hunting reserve in the province of Toledo.
- Operation Impemo gathered forensic evidence that the bird died from a gunshot and led officers to seize the suspected firearm.
- The detainee faces charges punishable by up to two years in prison, professional disqualification, hunting and fishing bans, and up to four years without firearm possession.
- Authorities emphasize the species is classified as in danger of extinction in national and regional catalogs and warn that killing protected wildlife is a criminal offense.