SCARBOROUGH (AP) — Officials in Scarborough say they are cooperating with a federal investigation into whether the town bears any responsibility for the death of a piping plover chick at Pine Point Beach.

The shore bird was killed by a dog on the beach last month. Piping plovers are considered an endangered species in Maine and experts estimate there are only a few dozen pairs in the state.

Town Manager Tom Hall tells the Portland Press Herald that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating. The town could face civil or even criminal penalties depending on the outcome of the probe.

The incident has prompted discussion of whether dogs should be allowed on Scarborough beaches during the nesting period for the piping plover.