A New Zealand man has been fined and jailed for poisoning 406 wedge-tailed eagles in Victoria, Australia.
Murray James Silvester, a 59-year-old farm worker was sentenced to 14 days in jail and fined $2,500 after pleading guilty to killing the protected birds.
The eagles were found dead on three separate farms spanning across 20 square kilometres at Tubbut between October 2016 and April 2018.
Other protected animals including a kookaburra, ravens and raptor was also found dead in the area from poison.
"His actions were conscious, voluntary and deliberate, he Googled them, he knew they were protected species," said Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning prosecutor Chrisanthi Paganis to ABC.
However, Silvester's defence lawyer Keith Borthwick told the court his employer played a role in the eagle deaths, saying: "It was under the instruction of his employer."
Mr Borthwick then explained this was due to the pressure Silvester received to increase lamb survival rates.
The court was told the maximum penalty for killing so many eagles was a fine of over $350,000 or six months in jail.
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