When 13 bald eagles are found dead in a field, authorities look into the farmers’ practices to ascertain the cause of death.

The killing of thirteen bald eagles has been largely explained by wildlife experts, but they still don’t know who killed them.

The lethal pesticide carbofuran poisoned the eagles, some of whom were so young that they had not yet developed their white head feathers.

A little bird can be killed by a single granule of the insecticide, according to Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The Environmental Protection Agency outlawed the use of the liquid herbicide on agricultural crops in 2009.

But many still might have old pesticide containers in their sheds, says toxicologist Karyn Bischoff of Cornell University’s Animal Health Diagnostic Center.

Four of the thirteen deceased bald eagles were discovered in February 2016 by a man searching the eastern shore of Maryland for deer antlers. After informing the Maryland Natural Resources Police, he found nine more dead birds at the Federalsburg site during their investigation.

In the course of its six-month investigation into the birds’ deaths, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spoke with more than a dozen nearby landowners and property managers.

Special agent John LaCorte of the Fish and Wildlife Service said, “There was no smoking gun.”

“It’s really annoying,” he expressed to The Washington Post.

The pesticide reportedly killed up to two million birds a year, according to the EPA, and its pellet form was outlawed in the middle of the 1990s. At the time, bald eagles were still considered an endangered species.

According to The Washington Post, producers appear to be using the pesticide—which is prohibited—to kill cattle and animals that consume plants, including marijuana that is cultivated illegally.

When animals ingest the herbicide, Bischoff says, “it’s a pretty ugly way to die.”

According to the CDC, the herbicide can induce vomiting, dizziness, increased salivation, cramping in the muscles, difficulty breathing, and even coma if swallowed or inhaled. According to Bischoff, it can also cause the lungs’ glands to release fluid, causing the animals to “drown in their own fluids.”

Six of the 13 eagles had necropsies, or animal autopsies, conducted by the Fish and Wildlife Service, and a dead raccoon (Procyon lotor) was discovered nearby.

Carbofuran was found in the crops or stomachs of all six birds, and the raccoon also tested positive.

According to LaCorte, there’s a good chance that one of the bald eagles transported the dead raccoon from somewhere else to the Federalsburg farm, where the other birds consumed it.

Related Posts

Find the Old Man’s Wife in 6 Seconds with the “Optical Illusion Test”

These days, one of the most popular online challenges is optical illusions. It is thought to be the most straightforward method of evaluating someone’s visual acuity and…

When a transgender woman explains why she is unable to date men, it causes outrage.

Ali C. Lopez, a transgender influencer who became an online meme out of the blue, expressed her concerns about society’s increasing sensitivity and what she sees as…

Workers Remove a Chained Cage From an Endless Well and Become Pale Upon Discovering What’s Inside

Well inspectors Liza and James made a startling discovery that has shocked the neighborhood when they happened onto a curious cage inside one of the wells during…

The sight of creatures crawling out of the vents stunned a family in Georgia.

A family of four is dealing with an odd problem: bats invading their house. With about 80 bats occupying their home in the Ardsley Park neighborhood, the…

An “unusual” girl had previously been rejected by 20 families before being adopted by a single man.

An “unusual” girl had previously been rejected by 20 families before being adopted by a single man. A little girl’s luck has changed after she was turned…

“I’M SPEAKING,” Kamala yells after being heckled and jeered at the rally.

When anti-Israel activists disrupted Vice President Kamala Harris’ third campaign event in less than twenty-four hours on Wednesday, a protester blew a whistle and called her a…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *