Virginia Man Fined for Killing Protected Birds Using Illegal Poison

A Virginia man has been sentenced after pleading guilty to killing multiple birds of prey, including a federally protected bald eagle. According to WTOP’s Kate Ryan, William Custis Smith of Hallwood used a banned neurotoxin to poison raptors near a waterfowl area he built to attract ducks for hunting.

Investigators from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) began probing Smith’s property in early 2023 after receiving a tip. They discovered a pole trap and the carcass of a juvenile bald eagle. Camera footage later showed a red-tailed hawk being captured in the trap and bludgeoned by Smith hours later. A necropsy revealed the eagle had been killed by carbofuran — an insecticide banned in the U.S. since 2008 due to its extreme toxicity.

Smith admitted to killing as many as 20 raptors to protect ducks he hunted recreationally. He received a minimal sentence: one day in jail, 50 hours of community service, and nearly $10,000 in fines.

Despite the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and other federal laws intended to safeguard wildlife, such cases rarely result in significant prison time. Wildlife expert Dr. William Bowerman told WTOP that many still view raptors as threats to personal interests, especially among those raising livestock or game birds. However, carbofuran poisoning is especially cruel, causing seizures and agonizing deaths for the birds.

If we value wildlife, we must demand stricter enforcement of existing protections. Raptors play vital roles in ecosystems, and using poison to eliminate them is not only illegal — it’s morally indefensible. Choose compassion over cruelty: never Support hunting properties that destroy predators or exploit wildlife for sport.

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