THE TWO white-tailed sea eagles found dead in sheep farming country in the foothills of the MacGillycuddy's Reeks in Co Kerry last month were poisoned.
A third bird originally thought to have died of natural causes and found dead before Christmas has also tested positive for poison.
The birds were among a group of 15 eaglets brought from Norway last summer as part of an ambitious reintroduction programme of birds of prey to the State. They were released into the Killarney National Park last August.
Two types of poison were used to kill the birds found dead near a sheep carcass a fortnight ago.
The poisons included the over-the-counter liver fluke killer Trodax, along with a poison which must be bought under licence. The first bird to have died has also shown small traces of the licensed poison "Alphachloralose", Dr Allan Mee, the scientist in charge of the reintroduction project, said yesterday. Test results are awaited on the sheep carcass.
Yesterday Dr Mee appealed to farmers to be careful when laying poison for foxes or vermin.
The regional veterinary laboratory in Cork had been asked to test for the Trodax liver fluke and worm infestation medicine for sheep and cattle after Dr Mee received a tip-off that farmers were dosing carcasses with it in order to kill off foxes in advance of the lambing season.
It is not known if the poison was deliberately laid for the eagles, which had been in the Glencar area of the Reeks for some weeks.