Euthanized Animals Can Kill Wildlife

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Euthanized Animals Can Kill Wildlife

By Cat Lazaroff

 

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/oct2002/2002-10-10-06.asp

 

WASHINGTON, DC, October 10, 2002 (ENS) - A dead bald eagle found this summer

at

a Florida landfill highlights a continuing threat to the nation's birds of prey

and other native species - accidental poisoning after feeding on the carcasses

of

pets or livestock. Animals euthanized at veterinary clinics or animal shelters

can

contain enough residual poison to kill wild animals.

 

The dead eagle at the West Palm Beach land fill was discovered by a work crew,

lying next to the carcass of a dead cat. An investigation by the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife

Service's (USFWS) division of law enforcement confirmed the presence of sodium

pentobarbital in the crop contents and the liver of the eagle.

 

Sodium pentobarbitol, a barbiturate drug, is widely used by veterinarians to

anesthetize

animals for surgery. It is also the primary active ingredient in most drugs

available

to veterinarians and animal shelters for euthanizing pets and other animals.

 

The USFWS believes that a veterinary clinic or animal shelter killed the cat

with

pentobarbital, and the carcass was then deposited in the landfill where it was

fed

upon by the eagle.

 

Events like this are all too common. Less than a year ago, the USFWS learned

that

bald eagles at a landfill in South Carolina were dying after feeding on poisoned

cats and dogs - at least five bald eagles died and nine others were treated at

the

South Carolina Center for Birds of Prey,

 

Between October 1996 and January 1997, four bald eagles died and five became

sick

after feeding on euthanized carcasses deposited in landfills in Polk and Volusia

Counties, Florida. And in British Columbia, Canada, 26 eagles were reported to

have

been poisoned, five fatally, from feeding on a single euthanized cow carcass.

 

At least 17 cases involving 26 eagles have been examined by the Wildlife

Health

Research Center in Madison, Wisconsin since 1980, said Dr. Nancy Thomas of the

division

of law enforcement. Several of the incidents have involved the improper burial

of

animals killed at humane shelters and taken to a local landfill for disposal.

 

In other cases, veterinarians have poisoned large animals such as horses and

have

not instructed the owners on proper disposal of the carcass.

 

In 1999, a veterinarian from northern New Mexico euthanized two mules owned by

a rancher in Colorado, leaving the carcasses on the rancher's land. Five golden

eagles and two bald eagles died after feeding on the carcasses. The rancher and

vet were fined $10,000 each for violations of the federal Endangered Species Act

that resulted from the improper disposal of the mule carcasses.

 

Of these fines, $18,000 will be used by the National Fish and Wildlife Fund to

help educate livestock veterinarians and ranchers about the hazards to wildlife

of poisoned animal carcasses.

 

Most veterinary professionals are aware of the rules regarding disposal of

euthanized

animals in their region - but these rules vary widely from state to state. Many

states require that dead animals be disposed of within 24 hours, but they do not

always specify the manner of that disposal, which can vary from burial to

cremation

to landfill disposal.

 

Regarding animals euthanized in the field, such as sick or injured livestock,

the rules are even more vague. The Food and Drug Administration's Center for

Veterinary Medicine, for example, has no established protocols for the proper

disposal

of animals euthanized in the field that specifically address the dangers of

poisoning

other animals.

 

Even when animals are legally disposed of, problems can occur. The USFWS has

found

that many of birds killed by feeding on euthanized animals have resulted from

landfill

procedures that allow the carcasses to lie exposed for hours or days before a

new

layer of trash or soil covers the bodies.

 

In these cases, those responsible for disposing of the bodies can still be

held

liable for the deaths of protected species. Eagles and other migratory birds are

protected by several federal statutes, treaties and regulations, including the

Bald

and Golden Eagle Protection Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and Endangered

Species

Act.

 

Criminal or civil penalties may be assessed for killing endangered species,

eagles

or other migratory birds through the negligent use of controlled substances such

as pentobarbital. While the maximum penalties for violations of the Endangered

Species

Act and the Eagle Protection Act are not often imposed, they can include up to

one

year of imprisonment and $100,000.00 fine for an individual. An organization,

such

as a business, can be fined up to $200,000.00.

 

In the case of a second offense, the Bald and Golden Eagle Act includes felony

provisions with a maximum penalty of two years in jail. Maximum penalties under

the Migratory Bird Treaty Act include up to six months imprisonment and a

$15,000.00

fine.

 

Veterinarians and animal shelters are considered responsible for the proper

use

of euthanasia drugs and subsequent disposal of poisoned animals. Veterinarians

are

also expected to advise their clients to properly dispose of poisoned animal

carcasses.

 

However, a recent USFWS survey of the package inserts provided by the major

manufacturers

and distributors of euthanasia drugs did not find warnings about the potential

for

secondary poisoning and instructions regarding proper disposal of poisoned

carcasses.

 

Animal professionals can find some help at the National Euthanasia Registry,

an

education program launched in 2000 by the Raptor Education Foundation after the

case in which seven raptors died after feeding on poisoned mules.

 

The registry hopes to educated veterinarians and their clients about the

dangers

involved in large animal euthanasia. The project is creating a written protocol

for proper disposal of euthanized carcasses, and has delivered educational

materials

to veterinary conferences and other professional events.

 

The registry also hopes to diminish the liability a veterinarian may face

should

his clients not act responsibly by offering a form explaining the risks that the

vet can give to clients to read and sign.

 

The USFWS and the National Euthanasia Registry recommend that pentobarbital

laced

carcasses be buried or burned. Eagles and other scavengers may become accustomed

to feeding in areas where carcasses are dumped, eventually consuming enough meat

from a tainted carcass to become ill or die.

 

The stability of the active form of pentobarbital in a decomposing carcass is

not known - the drug may retain the ability to kill for an extended period of

time.

In cold climates, carcasses may even retain the potential for poisoning wildlife

throughout the winter.

 

For more information, visit the National Euthanasia Registry online at:

http://www.usner.org/press.htm

 

 

Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance.

Confucius