Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
cases. These particular incidents were not hunting-related or retaliatory but instead occurred when
farmers or other persons applied these products inappropriately/incorrectly, resulting in their con-
sumption by non-target species. For example, we had a case where zinc phosphide-treated wheat was
spread liberally in a fi eld to kill voles and six starlings were poisoned (the details of this incident and
others like it can be found in the aforementioned database).
5.4.3 Toxicological analysis of wildlife carcasses in Austria
If a dog or a cat is poisoned in open landscape (i.e., outside a settlement area) or a wild animal is
found, the Hunters Association pays for the analysis. This is carried out by the Research Institute of
Wildlife Ecology, which is part of the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna. If a dog or cat
is poisoned in settlement areas the owners themselves have to pay. In some cases where it is unclear
whether or not a domestic animal was poisoned in open landscape, WWF Austria assumes the cost.
In this case, the analysis is instead done at the Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmacy,
Department of Veterinary Sciences (Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Germany; see
http://www.pharmtox.vetmed.uni-muenchen.de/institut/index.html). At both facilities, the samples
are fi rst screened for AChE inhibitors by using thin layer chromatography (TLC), followed by veri-
fi cation of carbofuran by GC/MS.
In 2010, a total of 220 samples were analysed in Munich, most of them submitted from (in
decreasing order) Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Of these samples, 52 tested positive for AChE
inhibitors and carbofuran was detected in 62% of samples (i.e., 32/52, see Table 5.4). Other frequently
detected AChE inhibitors were: methiocarb, paraoxon and methylparaoxon. All of the wildlife spe-
cies were found dead and organ samples were submitted for toxicological analysis after autopsy.
Pathological-anatomical fi ndings associated with carbofuran were tracheal edema, congested lungs
and punctate haemorrhagia in the lung, brain and heart muscle. With the exception of the saker falcon
(which came from Austria) all wildlife samples were received from Germany (where carbofuran use
is no longer permitted, see Table 5.1).
Carbofuran was also detected in one horse from Germany and three horses from a national (and
prominent) stud farm in Hungary. All horses displayed severe signs of acute colic and died imme-
diately. In the samples from the Hungarian stud farm, carbofuran concentrations of 1.22, 9.9 and
10.2 µg per gram liver material was detected. A single carbofuran intoxication case originated from
Switzerland in 2010 (where carbofuran is still registered for use, see Table 5.1). The samples were
from a cat, but the source of intoxication is again unknown. In general, the laboratory receives only
a few samples from Switzerland, most likely because shipment is very complicated and parcels are
often detained at the toll point in Frankfurt (Germany). Even when samples are packed with dry ice,
they still often arrive in an advanced state of decomposition.
5.4.4 Conclusions
The police and the Federal Offi ce of Crime Investigation are also important cooperative partners
in the Beware Poison! project. In addition, WWF Austria has a cooperation between the Austrian
Hunters Association, the Ministry of the Environment and many more partners. Even if only a few of
the culprits have been caught, offenders have at least been charged in at least some cases. Normally,
a fi ne of between 1 000 and 5 000 euro is imposed (between 1 500 and 7 000 USD). And, if an
offender is a hunter, they lose their hunting permission for a number of years, depending on the pro-
tected status of the species in question. More needs to be done, but the partnerships described within
this section are helping to gather important information about wildlife poisonings in Austria which
in turn can be used to educate the public and incorporated into investigations.
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