Overview

• A hunter discovered about a dozen dead birds in a 200 m² woodland near Simbach bei Landau, including red and black kites, peregrine falcons, common buzzards and crows.
• Police recovered three more carcasses during a large-scale search and opened a criminal investigation under Germany’s animal protection law.
• Preliminary tests by the Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety detected poison residues in several birds, with full toxicology results expected July 31.
• The Landesbund für Vogel- und Naturschutz recorded 14 poisoning cases of birds of prey in Bavaria during the first half of 2025, surpassing the total for all of 2024 and highlighting illicit carbofuran use.
• Under the Federal Nature Conservation Act, those convicted of killing protected raptors face up to five years in prison or substantial fines.