The Hancock Wildlife Foundation is offering a $5,000 reward to the person who cut down a prominent eagle鈥檚 nest tree off Croydon Drive 鈥� but only if that person can provide proof of who paid them to do the job.

Foundation founder David Hancock said that it鈥檚 obvious the tree cutter didn鈥檛 act alone, and he would like to know who funded the operation.

鈥淎t some time, maybe the kid who (cut down the tree), will say, 鈥極K, five grand, I鈥檓 going to rat on the guy that paid me.鈥� That鈥檚 what we鈥檙e hoping,鈥� Hancock said Tuesday.

July last year, the City of Surrey received a call that a tree, located on private property at 2112 160 St., had been partially cut and was at risk of falling.

A city arbourist visited the site that afternoon and determined that the tree was at a high risk of falling due to it being cut on both sides, and almost all the way through.

Hancock supervised the removal of the tree, and agreed that there was no alternative 鈥� the tree had to come down.

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The tree was home to an eagle nest, which Hancock had observed for the previous eight years. The nest could be easily spotted from Highway 99, and was active every year.

Last year, the city told Peace Arch News that an investigation had been opened by both the city and province, and that the vandalism to the tree was an infraction of the city鈥檚 tree-protection bylaw and the provincial Wildlife Act.

Conservation Service officer Alicia Stark told PAN this week that the investigation is still open.

The minimum fine that could be imposed under the Wildlife Act is $575. However, the investigation is complicated due to a lack of witnesses.

Under the city鈥檚 tree-protection bylaw, fines of up to $2,000 can be issued.

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鈥淲e haven鈥檛 had anyone come forward with information but are still wanting people to call our (Report All Poachers and Polluters) line if they have information,鈥� Stark wrote to PAN. 鈥淲e haven鈥檛 been able to lay any charges.鈥�

Even though it鈥檚 been a little more than a year since the tree was damaged, Hancock said he鈥檚 still regularly asked by residents for an update on the investigation.

鈥淚t always comes up,鈥� Hancock said. 鈥淓very time I give a talk in the region, it鈥檚 the first question 鈥� what happened? It really is.鈥�

Although the tree came down July last year, Hancock suspects that the cut was probably made in May.

鈥淚t was slowly dying. He only cut about a little over half of it. The birds, who were on eggs or had very tiny young, they abandoned the nest and they went and built another nest.鈥�

Despite losing their home, the pair of eagles 鈥� Hancock caught the male and equipped it with a GPS-tracking device 鈥� appear to be doing just fine.

鈥淲hen they came back after their migration, they went straight to (the new nest) and raised three young there, this year鈥� I have not caught the female yet. It鈥檚 my great wish to catch the female so we know where the pair goes. I tried and tried and I couldn鈥檛 catch her, she鈥檚 very suspicious.鈥�

Hancock has caught and installed GPS devices on 17 birds. All of which, he said, are northern breeders.

The eagles returned from their northern adventures on Sept. 22.

Hancock said he鈥檚 scheduled to have a meeting Wednesday to try and analyze data received from the GPS devices, and come up with a theory of why all the eagles seemed to have returned on the exact same day.

鈥淭he big thing is probably the fact that it鈥檚 so competitive in the Lower Mainland, that if you don鈥檛 get back and look after your nest, somebody else is going to claim it.鈥�

Hancock said, 鈥渋n the bird world,鈥� the first eagle to claim a nest as its territory is, statistically, most likely to win the battle.

Hancock said that cutting down eagles nests, despite the illegality, has been happening for years in the province.

鈥淥ver my lifetime, even in the 30 years that I鈥檝e lived here, I鈥檝e just watched dozens and dozens and dozens of eagles nests just get chopped down,鈥� Hancock said, adding that only recently has there been more enforcement on the illegal activity.

鈥淥nly since the NDP took power that we鈥檝e saved a single eagle nest,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he concern, or the difference is, has to do with the enforcement of the Wildlife Act. That happened only when the NDP got in, all of the other governments have neglected it.鈥�