Donal Hickey: Poisoning is a widespread wildlife crime

Illegal poisons are still in use here — and they're the main cause of untimely deaths of birds of prey here

Persecution and deaths of wild birds: a NPWS report highlights causes including poisonings, shootings and wind turbine strike

In spite of a ban on poisons, poisoning continues to be the main cause of ‘incidents’ resulting in the deaths of birds of prey here. And wildlife crime is still widespread.

Recently, a white-tailed eagle, protected under the Wildlife Act, was found dead on County Cavan farmland, after consuming a poison used as pest control, whilst a Tipperary farmer was fined €1,000 for shooting two protected mute swans on his land.

State Laboratory toxicology tests confirmed that the eagle had been poisoned with an illegal substance, carbofuran, possibly after eating a dead animal that had been laced with it.

Studies in the United States have shown that a single granule of carbofuran, resembling a natural seed grain in size and shape, could kill a bird. Its approval for use as an insecticide in crop production was withdrawn more than a decade ago in Ireland, and it is illegal.

Nevertheless, carbofuran, highly toxic to birds, and other poisons continue to be used to target wildlife in the countryside. National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) regional manager Maurice Eakin, says this latest fatality again highlights how prevalent the practice remains.

This is clearly highlighted in a NPWS report on the persecution and deaths of birds of prey here between the years 2007 and 2019. A total of 338 incidents were confirmed, including 214 poisonings, 58 shootings, 57 road collisions, six wind turbine strikes, and others.

Donal Hickey

Of the 338 incidents, 294 involved birds of prey, with all such species suffering some form of poisoning, persecution, or other injury at the hands of people. The most affected species were buzzard, red kite, barn owl, peregrine falcon, white-tailed eagle, hen harrier, sparrowhawk, kestrel, long-eared owl, golden eagle, merlin, and short-eared owl.

The report comments that actual numbers of affected birds are likely to be much higher than those recorded. There were incidents in every county, with poisoning accounting for 71.5% of cases, and shootings 28%.

The white-tailed eagle reintroduction programme, started in Killarney National Park in 2007, has been bedeviled by poisonings. Mind you, that does not mean farmers are deliberately targeting birds of prey in all cases.

They may put out poison for hooded crows, or foxes, for example, but other wildlife comes in contact with it and fatally consumes it. This indiscriminate use of poisons is very damaging to nature generally.

Most of the satellite-tagged eagles have flown away from Killarney and breeding pairs have become tourist attractions in places such as Glengarriff, County Cork, and Mountshannon, County Clare, with economic benefits locally.

Meanwhile, investigations into the poisoning of the year-old Cavan eagle are ongoing, says the NPWS.