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Georgia Cattle Company, Owner and Farm Manager Plead Guilty to Causing Bird Kill

Release Date: 02/03/2005
Contact Information:

Contact: Stacie Findon 202-564-7338 / [email protected]

(02/03/05) Kahn Cattle Company of Bartow County, Georgia; Roger F. Kahn, owner of Kahn Cattle Co.; and Glen M.
Bramlett, farm manager of the company, all pleaded guilty on Jan. 21 in U.S. District Court for the
Northern District of Georgia in Rome, Ga., to unlawfully killing approximately 3,300 migratory birds in
violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. In addition, Kahn Cattle Company pleaded guilty to illegally
disposing of hazardous waste in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. On or about
Jan. 20, 2003, Kahn and Bramlett spread corn laced with a chemical known as Warbex around a pond on
property owned by Kahn Cattle Company. The tainted corn was spread in order to kill nuisance birds.
Warbex is a topical preparation that is applied to cattle to control insect pests. It contains Famphur, which
is a highly toxic substance that is not meant for ingestion. As a result of this act, federal and state agents
ultimately collected 3,326 birds, including a great horned owl, red-tailed hawks, mourning doves, Canada
geese, a mallard duck, a cardinal, blue jays, red-winged blackbirds, a brown thrasher, grackles, crows and
cowbirds. The case was investigated by the Atlanta Office of EPA's Criminal Investigation Division and
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with support from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. It is
being prosecuted by the U.S. attorney's office in Atlanta.