Two golden eagles poisoned in Scotland

Police are investigating the poisoning of two golden eagles found dead in the Cairngorms National Park in northeastern Scotland.

The first bird was discovered in May and the second in early June, The Scotsman reported. The deaths were not disclosed while investigators tried to trace the poison, an agricultural pesticide named carbofuran that has been banned in Britain for the past three years.

"To me, the poisoning of a golden eagle is as serious an offense as you can get," said David Dick, a senior investigator with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. "Both these birds have been discovered within the Cairngorms National Park, and it is extremely concerning that there have been two poisoning cases in a matter of weeks. We normally deal with only one confirmed poisoning case each year."

Dick said he believes there have been other poisonings where the carcasses were not found, the newspaper reported.

In the second case, a group of hikers found the dead eagle on a remote hillside. The bird, which still had poisoned food in its beak, died in convulsions, Dick said.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International

Citation: Two golden eagles poisoned in Scotland (2006, August 6) retrieved 29 March 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2006-08-golden-eagles-poisoned-scotland.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

Understanding the key to predicting heat events in Central Europe

0 shares

Feedback to editors