Nugget

In August of 1981, Auburn University gave USM a live male golden eagle. An aviary for the new eagle, named Nugget, was built just south of the DuBard School. Initial costs were around $40,000, much of it raised through fundraising by the Alumni Association. As the eagle matured it became increasingly aggressive and difficult to handle, and in December 1985 it was given to a breeding program in St. Louise, MO.

In the fall of 1986 USM received another golden eagle, this one a four-year-old female from the US Department of the Interior. It was named Nugget II.

The Death of Nugget II
On Sunday, December 6, 1992, Nugget was found lying face down, dead, in his cage. A local vet did an autopsy and found shotgun pellets under his skin. They decided that Nugget had died of lead poisoning and that he had been shot about six weeks before his death. Then the US government (golden eagles were endangered or protected at the time) did its own investigation and decided that Nugget had actually starved to death.