Poisoning is currently one of the main threats to species feeding on carcasses (necrophagous species) even if they only do it occasionally, like the Iberian Imperial Eagle. This illegal practice also affects domestic animals and may even affect humans, making it a public health issue. The use of poison is very often associated with cinegetic or agropecuary activities, such as the illegal culling of predators and feral dogs.
This is one of the main causes of unnatural death of the species in Spain. In Portugal, two cases of poisoning have been confirmed, in 2013 (incident which affected 3 individuals), and 2015 (1 individual), and there are also other cases where poison is suspected of being the cause of death. Given the limited detection capacity of poisoned bait and animals in Portugal, the real impact of this threat on the species is still unknown, but is expected to be significant considering the small size of the population.
