Lead from shotgun pellets is poisoning area bald eagles

This story doesn’t have a happy ending.

On Dec. 29, a Virginia conservation officer from the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries rescued a bald eagle and brought it to the Wildlife Center in Waynesboro.

The veterinary staff there quickly determined that the bird, which had been found down in a field, unable to fly, was suffering from lead poisoning.

Chelation treatment, which is used to detoxify the bird, did not work however.

“The eagle from Fauquier died Jan. 1,” said Randy Huwa, executive vice president of the Wildlife Center.

Minute amounts of lead can easily sicken and kill the raptors. Blood tests on the Fauquier eagle revealed its lead level was 4. 9 parts per million.

“The [equipment we use] to do the blood tests is calibrated to measure up to five parts of lead per million, so this eagle’s lead levels were almost off the chart,” said Ed Clark, president and cofounder of the Wildlife Center.

“The veterinary staff did everything they could, but there was little to no hope from the beginning.”

The bird had apparently been poisoned for some time and was so weak, it couldn’t even be anesthetized, Clark said.

The case is not unique however. Last year, the Wildlife Center admitted 36 bald eagles. Of those, six showed signs of lead poisoning and 15 had measurable lead levels.

Routine tests show that many eagles are exposed to the highly toxic metal by ingesting lead shotgun pellets or bullet fragments, Huwa explained.

“The eagles ingest the fragments while scavenging animals that have been shot but not recovered by hunters, or by feeding on the entrails of game animals, like deer, which have been harvested and ‘field dressed.’”

Field dressing is the practice of removing the internal organs from animals taken for human consumption to preserve the quality of the meat. More often than not, the material is simply left on the ground, he said.

When the eagles come across the remains, they sometimes swallow the bullets or lead fragments. Tiny particles can get stuck in the digestive tract where fluids “leach” the heavy metal into the blood stream and body tissues.

Ultimately, the nervous system and internal organs are affected, causing the bird to seem lethargic and week.

Eagles with lead poisoning may also be unable to stand or fly even though there may be no obvious external signs of injury.

Huwa and Clark agree that many hunters are simply unaware that these habits are potentially lethal to eagles.

Clark stressed that hunters need to be educated, not vilified, however. He urged them to “be careful with lead,” and to make a concerted effort to recover their prey. Moreover, he encouraged hunters who field dress their game to bury or cover the waste.

“The sickness or death of even a single bald eagle is just too high a price for human negligence or laziness,” he said.

In addition to taking the proper precautions, hunters should also consider using alternative ammunition. Solid copper bullets are “ballistically identical to lead and every bit as effective,” said Clark, a lifelong hunter.

“Losing a bald eagle is a really sad event, especially when the cause of the bird’s death is so preventable,” Clark said. “We can only hope that these tragic cases will remind everyone that bullets and shotgun pellets can kill twice.”

Anyone who finds an injured eagle or other wild animal should call a conservation police officer or the Wildlife Center, a non-profit teaching and research hospital, immediately.

For more information, visit http://www.wildlifecenter.org