Another Common Buzzard shot. BirdLife Austria hopes for further reports from the population
The dead Common Buzzard was found a little way away from the road in the municipality of Ottenthal in the district of Mistelbach (Lower Austria). Matthias Schmidt, raptor expert for BirdLife Austria, was on location soon after the report and inspected the carcass. “The metal detector used for preliminary clarification of the cause of death reacted immediately, indicating that the bird had most likely been shot!” Schmidt reports. The subsequent X-ray examination and pathological findings confirmed this suspicion. Schmidt reported the incident to the local police. The perpetrators are unknown. “The frequency of cases of poisoned or shot raptors in the past weeks shows that this is a widespread problem in Lower Austria,” the expert explains. “But current reporting in the media has shown first signs of success because courageous citizens are reporting discovered dead or wounded animals more and more frequently, providing us with a better idea of the full extent of these illegal raptor killings.”
Please report all leads
BirdLife Austria depends on the reports of watchful hunters and walkers, “because most poisoned or shot animals are discovered by chance,” as Matthias Schmidt explains. “Please help us prosecute illegal raptor persecution by reporting all discoveries of dead or wounded animals, either by phone at 0660/869 23 27 or on the reporting platform www.kaiseradler.at or in the App birdcrime. Only with your help will we be able to track down the perpetrators!”