Some 47 rare birds of prey poisoned in a month

At least 47 birds of prey died as a result of poisoning in the last month. They include one golden eagle which was poisoned, six sea eagles and three marsh harriers. The poisoned birds were found in four districts of western Slovakia. Investigation of these cases as well as preventive checks are carried out by the organisation Raptor Protection of Slovakia, the Police Corps, the State Nature Conservation Organisation as well as volunteers. "This is the biggest uncovered case of these illegal activities so far, and in reality this is only the tip of the iceberg; the real number of poisoned birds is much higher," according to the NGO Raptor Protection of Slovakia. The police issued a warning to the population in connection with the poisoning. Poisoned bait is usually animal carcasses, such as hens, pigeons, hares, or parts of domestic and farm animals. Birds are also poisoned by the high-risk chemical Carbofuran, which is also dangerous for humans.