Imperial eagle poisoned in Weinviertel: Who saw something?

According to a toxicological examination, the young bird discovered on April 12 in a field between Stetteldorf am Wagram and the town of Inkersdorf (Korneuburg district) died from the banned insecticide carbofuran. According to a press release on Thursday, it is suspected that the animal had eaten poisoned meat. BirdLife has filed a complaint.

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Since there was no obvious cause of death, the finder contacted BirdLife. Due to the circumstances, an employee of the organization examined the imperial eagle on site and informed the State Criminal Police Office and the official veterinarian. Johannes Hohenegger, bird of prey expert at BirdLife Austria: “Since the crop – which is a storage organ in the esophagus in birds – was massively filled with pieces of meat, there was a strong suspicion that the animal had died due to a poisoned meat meal.”

“Just the sad tip of the iceberg”

“In Austria, a particularly high number of cases of wildlife crime are discovered in the lowlands of the east and Upper Austria,” said Hohenegger. The poisonings of a white-tailed eagle near Neusiedl am See and a red kite near Rechnitz in the Oberwart district (both in Burgenland) and the shooting of an imperial eagle in Marchfeld (Lower Austria) that became known this year, along with this poisoning case on the Wagram, represent “the sad tip of the iceberg.”

Anyone with suspicious observations regarding the Wagram poisoning case should contact the journal service of the State Criminal Police Office (Tel.: 059 133 30 3333).

• Reports of suspected illegal killing of birds of prey can be made to any police station (emergency number 133) or to BirdLife Austria (Tel.: 0660 869 23 27) – also anonymously – or to meldung@wildlifecrime.at.