About 120 native birds have been found dead after suspected poisoning in northeastern Victoria.
Officers from the environment department found the birds, including 76 wedge-tailed eagles, hawks and falcons, during raids on a property near Violet Town this week.
The raids were prompted by the discovery of dead wedge-tailed eagles in the area.
“Given the large number of native birds found within the immediate locality, it appears that they may have been poisoned,” the department’s Greg Chant said on Thursday.
The birds would be tested to find out their exact cause of death.
“The community is justifiably outraged by this incident and our investigations are continuing,” Chant said.
Deliberately killing a native bird carries a maximum penalty of $39,652, up to two years’ jail.
A man who killed 420 wedge-tailed eagles in East Gippsland between 2016 and 2018 was the first to be jailed for destroying protected wildlife in Victoria in September last year.
The department is seeking help from the public to find the culprit.
