"Bald eagle numbers are encouraging but ingesting lead ammunition is still killing large numbers, researchers find."
"While bald eagle populations have slowly recovered since the pesticide DDT was banned in 1972, toxic lead ammo has reduced population growth by 4% to 6% annually in the Northeast U.S., according to a new study.
The study, published today in the Journal of Wildlife Management, bolsters evidence that spent lead ammunition left in the carcasses of hunted animals continues to poison eagles, and researchers say that the findings should push hunters toward safer ammunition options, such as copper-based bullets.
“Hopefully, this report will add information that compels hunters, as conservationists, to think about their ammunition choices,” Krysten Schuler, assistant research professor in the Department of Public and Ecosystem Health at Cornell University and senior author on the study, said in a statement.
Lead attacks the nervous and reproductive systems of eagles and can make them lose their balance or ability to fly, have seizures, gasp, and tremor. Significant exposure kills them."
Brian Bienkowski reports for Environmental Health News January 14, 2022.
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