The bald eagle, of course, is our national bird and a treasured emblem in the United States, embodying America’s fighting spirit. Regrettably, the raptor was formerly considered endangered. The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act currently safeguard the raptor.
As one would expect, the discovery of the remains of 13 bald eagles in a field on a farm near Federalsburg, Maryland, was tragic. The birds’ deaths were immediately labeled suspicious, and an inquiry was initiated. Unfortunately, it would be years before the reason for their deaths was discovered.
The remains of the killed birds were first discovered intact by authorities. Their wings were spread, and their talons were gripped. The 13 eagles ranged in age from extremely young to mature. The issue of what caused the worst die-off of protected birds in over 30 years was perplexing.
Unbelievably, additional bald eagles were discovered in another nearby area. The birds were discovered alive but bewildered. Three ended up dead, while the other two were successfully cured. Nonetheless, the cause of this national symbol’s demise at Federalsburg remained unknown, but it was instantly thought that people were to blame, most likely by poisoning.
Please assist them in solving a mystery, the Maryland Natural Resources Police said on Facebook immediately after the 13 bald eagles were discovered dead near Federalsburg. It is the largest cluster of deceased bald eagles in Maryland in three decades. The study is being conducted in collaboration with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. For information leading to the conclusion of this event, a $10,000 prize is being given.
When the US Fish and Wildlife Service, American Bird Conservancy, and numerous other organizations chipped in, the prize was eventually boosted to $30,000 for information leading to a conviction.
It’s profoundly troubling that 13 of these treasured birds seem to have been murdered, either intentionally or through gross neglect, said Darin Schroeder, vice president of government affairs. In any case, the American Bird Conservancy will do all it can to assist the US Fish and Wildlife Service in locating and prosecuting those involved.
A necropsy was performed on the birds’ carcasses at a government lab in Oregon, and the findings of those tests have now come to light years later to explain what occurred. The birds were killed by poison, not sickness, as had been thought. Somebody particularly used carbofuran, one of the most dangerous pesticides known to man, which the Environmental Protection Agency outlawed in 2009.
Many farmers pushed to repeal the prohibition since carbofuran is one of the only pesticides effective against aphids that decimate soybean harvests throughout the nation, but it was maintained by the Supreme Court in 2011. And the decision was justified.
For starters, the poison is used to kill lions in Africa, so imagine what it may do to lesser creatures and even people. Yet we don’t have to invent anything. We are aware, and it is not nice, to say the least. The chemical causes vomiting, diarrhea, and convulsions. It also causes glands to release fluids, allowing animals to drown in their own fluids, according to a toxicologist, who described the horrific death this toxin may inflict.
Moreover, carbofuran is very harmful to birds, as Cornell University’s Pesticide Management Education Program describes the drug and this example demonstrates. One granule is enough to kill a tiny bird. Birds have been killed when they consumed carbofuran granules, which are similar in size and shape to grain seeds, or when predatory or scavenging birds devoured tiny birds or animals that had eaten carbofuran pellets.
The birds were not the only creatures that suffered as a result of this farmer’s carelessness. Several animals were discovered dead in the vicinity, according to federal investigators, as well as a raccoon corpse that seemed to have been destroyed by raptors. The raccoon probably found an old supply of carbofuran and ate it before dying and being eaten by eagles. As a result, the toxin would have poisoned them.
This substance is hazardous to people and animals, radio station WNAV said in a Facebook post after submitting a Freedom of Information request, acquiring the test results, and disclosing them. They are hopeful that people, especially farm owners, will check their land to make sure there isn’t any left and tell their neighbors to do the same.
Farmers are America’s backbone. To be honest, we need them to live, and it’s critical that we can trust them with something as important as our nutritional nourishment. This “omission,” whether deliberate or unintentional, is just unacceptable. This dangerous toxin has no place in our nation, much less in our food.
