SYDNEY, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Items including native animal skulls, chemicals and traps were seized from rural properties in Australia's Victoria state, as part of investigations into the recent suspected poisoning of more than 130 protected wedge-tailed eagles, environmental authorities said on Wednesday.
Forest and wildlife officers searched four properties in Victoria's Gippsland region linked to the eagle killings and seized the items as part of further examination, the state's Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning posted on its Twitter online networking account.
The raids were part of a manhunt for those behind the protected species' deaths, which have annoyed many local residents and sparked extensive efforts to comb the area for the carcasses, local media reported.
Wedge-tailed eagles, named for their distinctive tail shape, are one of the world's largest birds of prey, with a wingspan of nearly 3 meters, and are found throughout Australia.
Killing the dark-brown raptors is an offense that can incur jail terms of up to six months and fines of nearly 8,000 Australian dollars (5,900 U.S. dollars).
