Three bald eagles have been found deceased beginning February 28th through April 4th in Wayne County, Pennyslvania.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission has announced they are looking for information about the eagles who were found in the vicinity of the Texas-Palymara Highway and State Route 562, near Honesdale, Texas Township.
Necropsies performed on the eagles showed no signs of trauma. However, trace amounts of a commonly used euthanasia drug for domestic animals and livestock were found in two eagles.
An investigation is underway by the PA Game Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to find out how and why this drug was in their systems. Eagles are most found around water where they catch and scavenge fish which is a major part of their diet. They also eat waterfowl, small mammals, turtles, and carrion aka the decaying flesh of dead animals.
It is possible that the eagles came across animals who were euthanized with this drug which remains in their bodies. If this is the case, it means the bodies weren’t properly disposed of as the Pennsylvania Game Commission requires.
The first eagle found was still alive but in poor condition and subsequently died. The second eagle was found deceased on March 16th. The third eagle was also found deceased on April 4th. All three bald eagles were found within .3 miles of each other and reported by different individuals.
Bald eagles are found only in North America. They were on the Pennsylvania federal Endangered Species list until 2007. The status in Pennsylvania was changed to protected in 2014 based on data from 2008-2013.
Losing three bald eagles especially in a very short period of time is quite concerning.
The Game Commission is asking anyone with information about the eagles to call their Northeast Region Office at 570-675-1143 or the Operation Game Thief hotline at 1-888-PGC-8001 or online. All information is kept confidential.
There are federal laws protecting bald eagles. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, penalties may include a year in prison and fines beginning at $100,000 for the first offense.
Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein is a television talk show host, speaker, writer, and an unabashed animal advocate. Her love for animals and quest for the hard truth is what drives her passion for all things animals. She hosts the television show, “A Close Up Look at Animal Welfare Issues.” She adores her tripawd, Brody, who was a formerly abused pup who lost his leg because of cruelty inflicted upon him. If you’d like Tina to talk to your group or have a story, please email her at tevangelistaepp@yahoo.com. Like https:www.facebook.com/ACloseUpLookatAnimalWelfareIssues and be sure to check out AnimalWelfareIssues.com.
Look for a landfill or something near there. It’s probably most likely people how to euthanize and Animal whether it’s livestock a horse a large dog and I didn’t properly bury them.
That’s a good idea to utilize.