Beloved MA Eagle Dies In Another Rat Poison Case

ARLINGTON, MA — A beloved Massachusetts bald eagle known as "MK," whose life with her mate "KZ" has been documented since she was hatched in Waltham in 2016, was admitted to and later died at the New England Wildlife Center after being found sick and unable to fly in an Arlington cemetery Monday morning, the center shared in a Facebook post.

The veterinary team worked for days to stabilize the critically ill eagle as she battled severe anemia and weakness that prevented her from standing, which the center said they believe to be caused by anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning.

Speaking with Patch, MassWildlife explained that anticoagulant rodenticides are a type of rodent poison that kills by preventing blood from clotting normally, resulting in fatal internal hemorrhage or bleeding. Wildlife can be poisoned by anticoagulant rodenticides in two ways: primary poisoning when an animal directly eats the bait and dies several days later, or secondary poisoning when a predator or scavenger eats prey that has consumed the bait, as was the case with MK.

The New England Wildlife Center team who cared for MK wrote that they attempted to counteract the clotting effects the poison caused as well as provide her with fluids, pain medication, and oxygen support.

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"Our veterinary team was by her side when it happened and was able to quickly clear her airway and intubate her, provide emergency drugs and fluids as her heart rate slowed, and eventually worked to do compressions to revive her," the center wrote Wednesday in a post that announced MK's death Tuesday night. "Sadly, it was not enough to bring her back. She was gone in a matter of minutes."

MK and JZ have attracted scores of fans over the years who keep their eyes peeled for sightings at the Mystic River watershed. The center wrote Monday that they had hoped that MK and KZ would be able to be reunited so they could continue their "lineage and legacy" in Boston.

"The pair is considered a true ecological success story here in Massachusetts and a testament to how far the Mystic River and its habitats have come over the past few decades," the center wrote Monday. "They even had a children’s book written about them!"

The center wrote that they hope MK's case will "serve as a true wake-up call for people to stop using SGARS, and will ultimately lead to true systemic change."

"It is time to restrict the use of these poisons," the center wrote. "Rodent control does not need to come at the expense of our natural heritage and ecosystem."

Zak Mertz, Executive Director of the Birdsey Cape Wildlife Center in Barnstable—which took in and treated MK—told Patch that the New England Wildlife Center treats somewhere between 50-150 poisoning cases per year between its two hospitals.

Mertz added that laboratory testing on these substances, such as that by Maureen Murray at Tufts University, shows that incidences of exposure to second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides, which are commonly used by pest-control companies, are extremely high in wild populations.

"Predators, like hawks, owls, eagles, and foxes—anything that eats mice—are exposed when they eat a rodent that has ingested the poison," Mertz said. "Metabolism of the substance can be delayed, so the rodent can be sick and slow-moving before passing away. The predator thinks they are getting an easy meal and end up dosing themselves with the poison, too."

Dr. Maureen Murray, director of the Tufts Wildlife Clinic at Cummings Veterinary Medical Center in Grafton, began studying rodenticide exposure in raptors around 2006. Between 2012 and 2016, she tested 94 birds for rat poison exposure, and 96 percent were positive. In a more recent study of 43 red-tailed hawks, every bird Murray tested was positive for rodenticide exposure. In the spring of 2021, a nationwide study published in the journal PLoS ONE found that 82 percent of more than 100 bald and golden eagles tested between 2014 and 2018 were exposed to rat poison.

Murray told Patch in 2021 that the best solution to the distressing trend is simply to stop using rat poison. It's more work, but rodent infestations can be better controlled by better waste management, and by finding and closing rodent entry points around buildings, Murray said.

"If rodent poisons were the answer to rodent problems, we would've solved it already," Murray said.

MassWildlife explained that in the past 15 years, the US EPA has taken steps to impose restrictions on rodenticides.

"SGARs are believed to be most harmful to wildlife and cannot be sold through general consumer outlets for use by the typical homeowner," the agency said. "SGARs can still be purchased online in commercial use quantities for use only by licensed pest professionals and agricultural users. Other rodenticides, called first-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (FGARs) and non-anticoagulant rodenticides, are still approved for residential consumer use only if enclosed within a bait station."

According to MassWildlife, it is illegal to place poisons outdoors except under highly regulated permitting conditions.

To minimize harm to wildlife and pets, MassWildlife suggests removing or safely securing all sources of food or garbage that attract rodents.

"Keep food for pets, poultry, and livestock in animal-proof containers," the agency said. "Close off or repair any exterior openings in your home and other outbuildings that may allow rodents to enter. Rodent-proof your home!"

If you do have rodents, you can start with baited snap traps which "provide a swift and humane death and are easy for a homeowner to use," according to MassWildlife, which added that poisons should be used only as a last resort.

"If using poisons, use enclosed in bait stations and follow the product label instructions," MassWildlife said. "Hiring a company? Choose a licensed integrated pest management company that uses multiple approaches to pest control instead of relying solely on poisons. You can request that the company avoid using SGAR products including brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difenacoum, or difethialone."

"Doing all those basic steps toward sustainable long-term rodent management will go a long way toward protecting our wildlife," Murray added.

Bald eagles have made a major comeback in the U.S. since the 1960s, when chemicals like now-banned DDT reduced the population to under 500 nesting pairs across the nation. There may be as many as 71,400 nesting pairs today, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. But bald eagles and other birds of prey still face man-made threat, be it from lead bullet fragments or rat poison.