is with the heaviest heart Ive had in a long, long time that I post this. The beautiful raptor---died in my arms last night. She suddenly-and quickly-became very weak and unable to stand. And as was suspected after a quick necropsy, she died-because she ate a poisoned rodent. She had hemorrhaging in her GI tract, her kidneys, etc. No broken bones, just bleeding. Poisoned, she was unable to fly...and as a result of that, unable hunt, and feed herself. A closer examination iof her feathers indicates she was on the ground several days....before found by some of our homeless folks. There are numerous rodent poisons on the market, and the rodent she ate-had recently eaten an anti-coagulant rodenticide. This stuff...is awful. It kills more non-target wildlife than anyone realizes. If it was nesting season, and shed had a nest full of little ones, shed have given this to them as well. I literally couldnt bring myself to post this here last night-so angry-and just...well...devastated. While I do see a lot of sad things in my work, I know that I make a difference in that sadness. In this case-there is nothing to do-but be sad. This beautiful, majestic guardian of our desert skies will never soar...above us all...with that magic that she and others like her possess, the freedom to leave the earth, but to still remain such an important part of it. All because of humans-who would rather poison than trap-she is gone, and right now....Im pretty much ashamed-to be a part of a race of beings who so callously toss things that can-and do kill our wildlife out there. It may be a quick fix to a rodent problem, but is it worth the cost to non-target animals (which can include everything from raptors to dogs and cats) to end up like this? I see rodenticides flying off the shelves every spring here...most folks never read a label-let alone make sure that these poisons arent being used in areas where non-target animals may end up exposed-and killed. I will be posting an album of photos I took of her late last night, as I believe education---is the ONLY way to MAKE THIS STOP. They will not be graphic, bloody,etc. but they will be of a beautiful raptor...who didnt deserve this. If it makes ONE person STOP using poisoned baits, then Ive done my job.
Posted on: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 18:01:04 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015