# eagle deaths?



## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

thoughts? 
http://www.ksl.com/?sid=28156434&ni...les-around-utah&fm=home_page&s_cid=featured-1


----------



## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

I'm a little perplexed as to why they aren't all dying. Sounds like some sort of illness of poison of some sort to me. It is also a little confusing why it appears to only be happening to Bald Eagles and no other raptors of any sort.


----------



## Daisy (Jan 4, 2010)

West Nile Virus is the likely cause. I think this cause was mentioned in a SL Trib article today. Thousands of dead grebes on the main body of the GSL right now. More than I have ever seen during the avian cholera and botulism outbreaks in the past. Speculation that the eagles have been feeding on the infected waterfowl.


----------



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Daisy said:


> West Nile Virus is the likely cause. I think this cause was mentioned in a SL Trib article today. Thousands of dead grebes on the main body of the GSL right now. More than I have ever seen during the avian cholera and botulism outbreaks in the past. Speculation that the eagles have been feeding on the infected waterfowl.


Yep, that's what I've heard too.

The DWR did say "......the eagles did not die from lead poisoning"


----------



## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

This is from a channel 2 news report.

"Wildlife experts have never seen bald eagles suffer like this before in Utah and scientists are unsure of what is making them ill. "The only thing we can find most similar to what they're showing signs of is West Nile Virus. So, they're treating them for a West Nile Virus infection," says McFarlane."


The West Nile virus hypothesis is just that, an educated guess. Since WNV is vector borne and the vector is currently either frozen solid or hibernating in mud right now, (Mosquitos) I personally have my doubts. Nevertheless, I sure hope they can figure it out. I don't know the people working on this, so I don't have any inside info either. :sad:


----------



## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

Well, here we have it. It was WNV. As they research the outbreak, I'll be interested in what they find about the route of transmission.

http://kutv.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_8914.shtml

As for me, I'll stick to dogs and cats.


----------



## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

Guess I need to lay off the grebes for awhile.


----------



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Reliable sources say:

"......................I was at DWR and visited with Leslie McFarlane (disease biologist). The worry is no longer contaminated grebes but bringing sick eagles in close proximity to healthy eagles. 

Dead eagles are still being found. The total is around 60 now. This is the first such die off of eagles in the country."

stay tuned

Poor eagles; peed-off farmers, DDT, lead poisoning, and now West Nile.

uh.........I remember back when all the waterfowl, and the Bald eagles that were eating the dead waterfowl, were dying off in southeast Wisconsin's Horicon Marsh. I lived not too far from there back then. The resultant studies started the move to ban lead shot for waterfowling. My dad said those biologists and scientists were (&%# crazy.  I also remember Wyoming was the last state to go with no-lead shot. We waited till the last minute before the Fed funds were to be cut off. So went Wyoming back in the day. Now we tell the Fed to "shove it, keep your money". I've had it, I'm moving to a foreign country......North Dakota.

.


----------

