Thirteen bald eagles met a tragic end as wildlife experts uncovered the cause behind their mysterious deaths, revealing they were poisoned by carbofuran, a lethal pesticide. Cornell Lab of Ornithology emphasizes the potency of this substance, stating a single granule can fatally harm a small bird. Although the EPA banned the liquid form on crops in 2009, toxicologist Karyn Bischoff warns of aging pesticide containers still lingering in sheds.

Discovered by a man searching for deer antlers in Maryland’s eastern shore in February 2016, the eagles’ deaths puzzled investigators. John LaCorte from the Fish and Wildlife Service expressed frustration, stating, “There was no smoking gun.” While carbofuran was once responsible for two million bird deaths annually, its pellet form was banned in the 1990s. Despite the ban, reports suggest farmers use it to protect crops, posing severe risks to wildlife.

Necropsies on six eagles and a raccoon near the scene confirmed carbofuran ingestion. LaCorte proposed a grim scenario where one eagle brought the poisoned raccoon to the Federalsburg farm, leading to a deadly communal feast. The pesticide’s ingestion causes a distressing death, inducing symptoms like muscle cramps, vomiting, and fluid-filled lungs, as revealed by CDC and Bischoff.