Bald Eagles in Oregon being Poisoned (17 so far)

katu.com ^ | 3/27/2004

[WASH]

Wildlife officers say someone has been intentionally poisoning more than a dozen bald eagles in the central Willamette Valley.

Hundreds of eagles migrate to the Willamette Valley each November to spend the winter and officers believe they are the targets of a horrendous crime. So far, 17 eagles have been found dead near Harrisburg, including two that were found in the last month.

Officers say a banned toxic pesticide called fenthion is being applied to a sheep carcass that's used as eagle bait. The fenthion has been linked to all of the eagle deaths.

"There's no authorized uses for it (fenthion) under federal or state laws," said USFWS Enforcement Officer Christopher Brong. "The eagles are dying simply because they're carrion eaters, and eat on the carcass of the sheep, and they are dying of pesticide poisoning." Finding the person or persons involved in this wildlife crime will greatly depend upon the public's help.

A $4,000 reward is offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible

[upchuck]

The SOBs doing this should be poisoned. Slowly!

[ken5050]

Where's PETA when you really need them?

[xJones]

Why aren't the anarchist/Greens from Eugene, Oregon down there searching for this monster? Tell them that the bald eagle killer's last name is suspected to be "Bush" and you'll have thousands of them swarming all over the place. The sheep won't be safe, however....:)

[camas]

$4000 get real and make that atleast $100000 or more.

[Crazieman]

PETA won't care because its a symbol of national pride and I'm pretty sure that overrides their sense of "moral decency".

[HairOfTheDog]

Using sheep as bait is curious... I have to wonder if the real target isn't coyotes.

Nevertheless... attracting animals with bait to indiscriminate poison is repugnant.

[ken5050]

In 1992, I took the wife, both daughters, and BOTH sets of grandparents on an Alaskan cruise...it was awesome, but after the 5th day of stopping in a port..this time Sitka, I got tired of going to another museusm or tourist trap, so while all the others went off to see a native Russian dance concert, I ambled off in town, and stumbled into the Alaska Raptor Rehab center, where they care for and release injured/abandoned eagles and other birds of prey..it was awesome..I got hold one of the eagles while they were rebandaging his wing..they are magnigicent birds, but boy, up close, they stink...anyway, I "adopted" one;...and have continues to support them every year since...you get a newletters, and pics, and email updates on "your" bird...it's a great charity.. I tried to get them to name an orphan vulture "Hillary"...offered to double, triple my contribution..but they wouldn;t...

[HairOfTheDog]

I have seen one up close too... also a recovered but unreleasable victim of stupid people. They are enormous.

We used to go rafting after salmon runs in Eastern WA.... could see bald eagles on the ground feeding on the spent salmon. Eagles in flight are a common sight around here, eagles on the ground feeding is a pretty rare treat.

ROTFL at the Hillary vulture... :~D

[joesnuffy]

Come up to Wisconsin Dells in the middle of summer ..bald eagles swarm like flies
Franklin was right...the American Turkey would have been a better symbol...at least it's edible
imo

[WASH]

I have to wonder if the real target isn't coyotes

Thanks - I was trying to figure out what the real motive could be.

[ken5050]

They are enormous..when you hold them from the back, so that someone else can work on the talons..they spread their wings, and it's huge....yet they are sooooo light..only a few pounds..sometimes when they take a fish..they're lifting something that weighs more than they do..and the talons..just awesome....

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Oh dang that's too funny. I hope you come into some money so you can hit their price. Everybody's got a price I hear.

[ken5050]

Naw..I took another tack..we've got a muskrat in the pond...I've named it Hillary..after my neighbor..

[HairOfTheDog]

Just a guess.... but the odds are really long of attracting an eagle with bait as the first and intended target. But coyotes could be predicted to find it... along with neighborhood dogs and whatever else wanders by. This outcome outlines precisely why poison bait is a hideous way to respond to a wild environment...

[Psycho_Bunny]

Eastern WA - and Idaho - were the first places I saw Bald Eagles, too.

When I was in my early teens, my parents owned 200 acres in Humboldt County.  I got too close to a deer carcass that a Golden Eagle was feeding on; he took off, circled around and attacked me from behind.  Hearing his wings at the last second I turned and saw him - and threw my arms up just in time to have him slice my left hand open with this claw.

So I'd had some experience with eagles, and in seeing how incredibly huge the Bald Eagle actually is, I can honestly say the first thought I had was, "Holy crap.  He wouldn't have to fly - that bird could walk over here and kick my ass."

[HairOfTheDog]

Wow! - That is an intense eagle contact! When were watching them on the riverbank, if we got too close they would fly off.... but then... there were salmon all over the shores, so they didn't ~have~ to fight over any particular fish.

At our beach house, there is a pair of eagles frequently seen hunting over the beach and water. We have seen them take a second look at my brother's kitty, who they could easily pick up... Even if they ended up dropping her it would not be good!

[Tailback]

I work on a cable ferry on the Willamette river in Oregon. There are Osprey nests on both cable towers for the ferry and I watch them dive into the water catching fish all day. If I'd had a video camera I would have made a fortune when I watched an ongoing territory fight between an Osprey and a Blue Heron. They had a dogfight that lasted a good 10 minutes and I couldn't believe how well that Heron could fly. I've also seen river otter and a gigantic sturgeon that breached the water near my ferry like a whale. The thing was huge, had to be 3 feet WIDE!

If this yahoo is intentionally poisoning eagles, he/she should be flogged.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

ping

[Brilliant]

It's probably the same guy who poisoned the fish in the Klammath River, and caused a massive fish kill, which got blamed by the liberal media on Bush.