The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is seeking information regarding the shooting of an American white pelican in Southeast Idaho.

On Thursday, Sept. 17, Nathan Stohosky, Fish and Game conservation officer stationed out of Grace, responded to a call about an injured pelican seen wandering in the vicinity of Valley View Drive in Soda Springs.

Stohosky found the bird with a bullet wound in its left wing and one on the top of its back, likely from a .22-caliber gun.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game would like to remind the public that American white pelicans have both state and federal protections. Fish and Game has received permits from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to haze pelicans and implement limited lethal control of these birds as part of a management strategy to reduce predation on Yellowstone cutthroat trout in the Blackfoot Reservoir and Blackfoot River. These activities are carried out by authorized personnel with specific federal permits and protocol.

"People know we are trying to conduct pelican hazing efforts here in this area," said Stohosky. "But that fact does not give the public free rein to engage in the same activity. Shooting at or otherwise harming pelicans, including destroying pelican nests and eggs, is unlawful."

If anyone has any information regarding the shooting of this pelican or any other wildlife violation, they are encouraged to contact Nathan Stohosky at 221-4513 or the Caribou County Sheriff's Office at 547-2561. Those who would like to provide information anonymously can contact the Citizens Against Poaching Hotline at 1-800-632-5999.