Overview

• Fourteen raptors have tested positive for the banned nerve agent Carbofuran in Bavaria’s first half of 2025, exceeding last year’s full-year total of 13.
• Two poisoned baits have been discovered and toxicology analyses remain pending for four additional suspected poisoning cases.
• No suspect has been convicted due to remote crime scenes, underreporting and insufficient forensic evidence.
• Authorities suspect a small group of hunters who view raptors as competitors and pigeon breeders employing so-called “kamikaze” bait tactics.
• Regional hotspots include Neustadt a.d. Aisch-Bad Windsheim, the Straubing-Deggendorf area, Regensburg and Pfaffenhofen a.d. Ilm.