Eagles being treated at the Animus Foundation wildlife sanctuary.
This week, two dying bald eagles were found outside a Marion County, Florida landfill. One has died since they were discovered and the other is still being treated. In the last two years, there have been a
dozen cases of bald eagles
dying around the landfill:
The Animis Foundation alleges that the Marion County Animal Shelter has been dumping euthanized animals at the Marion County Baseline Landfill, which is located next to the shelter.
Whitfield said two years ago when a bald eagle was found dying at the landfill, Animis and Dr. Shannon Kennedy performed a toxicology screen on the eagle’s blood. She said the results were disturbing. Test results showed the eagle had been poisoned with phenobarbital, a drug commonly used by veterinarians to euthanize animals.
If true, the Marion County Animal Shelter is breaking the law:
Mara Burger, Public Information Specialist with the Department of Enviromental Protection (DEP), said, “The proper disposal of domestic animals is covered by Rule 62-701.520(4)(c), which allows disposal in Class I landfills or on the property where they died. Proper disposal is defined as “buried at least two feet below land surface and above the water table.”
Residents aren't just worried about bald eagles being affected by the poisoned animals:
Now, residents want to know if the animals are being discarded like trash instead of incinerated. Questions about whether or not the drug could seep into the aquifer have also been raised.
Marion County officials say they were
handled properly:
Officials with Marion County tell us all animals delivered to the landfill receive a proper burial and that they take up about 30 percent of the animal carcasses at the landfill. The number of animals euthanized through Marion County Animal Services in 2014 was 6,187.
Because bald eagles are federally protected, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has opened an investigation.