Scores of eagles killed in ‘illegal bird cull’

Authorities in Australia are investigating the deaths of 136 wedge-tailed eagles on a farm, suspecting they may have been poisoned to try to protect local sheep.

Labelling it the worst illegal bird cull in Victoria state’s history, authorities said the carcasses of the eagles were found on a farm in East Gippsland, a region east of Melbourne. Australia’s largest bird of prey and one of the world’s largest eagles, with a wingspan of almost 8ft, wedge-tailed eagles have been targeted in the past by farmers who believe they prey on young lambs.