UpdatedWed, May 5, 2021 at 7:23 pm ET
Replies(5)
A bald eagle died recently after ingesting rat poison while living along the Charles River in Middlesex County, the first documented case in Massachusetts. (Courtesy of James B. Condon, Jr)
NATICK, MA — State wildlife officials have documented the first death of a bald eagle in Massachusetts due to rat poisoning, a growing problem that experts say affects several important bird species across the state.
The bald eagle was living in a nest along the Charles River in Middlesex County, and was spotted in March behaving strangely. Within a few days, the female bald eagle was dead, MassWildlife said this week. A necropsy at the Cummings Veterinary Medical Center at Tufts University confirmed the eagle died after ingesting second-generation anticoagulant rodenticide — a common rat poison used by pest control companies and sold online in large quantities.