Back in 1985, the Wildlife Center admitted a Bald Eagle from King George County - an eagle that had been poisoned.  From that one bird the Center learned about the dangers of carbofuran, a potent pesticide used extensively in Virginia and across the nation in corn and soybean production.  It's probable that the poisoned eagle had not consumed carbofuran directly; it's more likely that the eagle was sickened after eating another bird or rodent that itself had succumbed to carbofuran poisoning.

Wildlife Center of Virginia President Ed Clark and Skyler (see page 3) Photo: Linda Richardson

After six years of intensive work by the Center, the Commonwealth of Virginia banned the most common form of carbofuran (trade name Furadan), and within three days the manufacturer pulled it from shelves nationwide.  According to Environmental Protection Agency estimates, that action alone saved the lives of two million birds - annually.

In 2006, 21 years after the Center first admitted that one Bald Eagle, all forms of carbofuran were banned in the United States, which means that the chemical can no longer be manufactured here or sold to any other country with which the U. S. trades.  The ban will save potentially tens of millions of birds each year around the world.

page 1 of 14