Flying high above Enumclaw. It's the time of year when the Bald Eagle makes its majestic presence well known.
So, when the bodies of our national symbol started turning up on the ground last week, wildlife officers launched into action.
Wildlife Officer Bruce Richards gathered sick bird after sick bird. He knew they'd been poisoned, but had to find the source.
Richards began knocking on doors and immediately found the answer.
A local farmer who'd put down one of his horses with a veterinarian's drug cocktail known as fatal five.
The farmer told officers he tried to bury the horse, but the equipment he was using broke and the birds began feasting the carcass.
At least six birds became very sick, lying on the ground, unable to stand up.
Wildlife officers brought them to the PAWS animal treatment center in Lynnwood.
"When a bird like an eagle ingests that meat, it gets a dose of the anesthetic," explains Veterinarian, John Huckabee. "That takes a long time to metabolize in the body so they were very sleepy."
Veterinarians gave fluids to flush the drug from the birds' bodies. One bird couldn't be saved, but veterinarians say all of the birds should have been spared.
"This could have been avoided if the horse had been buried or disposed of in a more appropriate way," says Huckabee.
Now wildlife managers will look at whether the horse's owner should face charges. It's a question Richards can't answer based on anything he's ever seen before.
"I don't know what will happen because this is a first for me," says Richards.
Wildlife officers plan to release at least three, but as many as four of the birds Tuesday in the same area where they were picked up.
A fifth bird is still recovering under veterinarian's care.
So, when the bodies of our national symbol started turning up on the ground last week, wildlife officers launched into action.
Wildlife Officer Bruce Richards gathered sick bird after sick bird. He knew they'd been poisoned, but had to find the source.
Richards began knocking on doors and immediately found the answer.
A local farmer who'd put down one of his horses with a veterinarian's drug cocktail known as fatal five.
The farmer told officers he tried to bury the horse, but the equipment he was using broke and the birds began feasting the carcass.
At least six birds became very sick, lying on the ground, unable to stand up.
Wildlife officers brought them to the PAWS animal treatment center in Lynnwood.
"When a bird like an eagle ingests that meat, it gets a dose of the anesthetic," explains Veterinarian, John Huckabee. "That takes a long time to metabolize in the body so they were very sleepy."
Veterinarians gave fluids to flush the drug from the birds' bodies. One bird couldn't be saved, but veterinarians say all of the birds should have been spared.
"This could have been avoided if the horse had been buried or disposed of in a more appropriate way," says Huckabee.
Now wildlife managers will look at whether the horse's owner should face charges. It's a question Richards can't answer based on anything he's ever seen before.
"I don't know what will happen because this is a first for me," says Richards.
Wildlife officers plan to release at least three, but as many as four of the birds Tuesday in the same area where they were picked up.
A fifth bird is still recovering under veterinarian's care.
