It’s Bad for Bald Eagles…and Us

It’s Bad for Bald Eagles…and Us

By Dr. Jen Riley Blue Ridge Wildlife Center

Bald Eagles are great hunters but they won’t say no to an easy meal. In Virginia, the fall months are the perfect time of year for opportunistic eaters to enjoy the treats that hunters leave behind. Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as a free meal.

March 2022: Adult Bald Eagle found in Stafford, with high lead levels and injuries. After six weeks in care at Blue Ridge Wildlife Center, lead levels brought back down with treatment, this eagle was given a second chance to live a wild life.

Photo Blue Ridge Wildlife by: Erik Brito

Lead fragments from even a jacketed lead core rifle bullet can travel up to 18 inches from the bullet wound into the animal. The gut pile left behind by the hunter will then often be ingested by an eagle or other scavenger. The same problem arises with lead shotgun pellets when animals are wounded or not collected. A piece of lead as small as a grain of rice can kill an adult Bald Eagle.

As a non-profit veterinary hospital and rehabilitation center, the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center in Clarke County sees hundreds of animals each year that have elevated levels of lead in their blood. Our mission is to give them a second chance to do their jobs within our ecosystem and to educate the public on how to reduce man-made threats to our local wildlife.

Sadly, wildlife lead toxicity is directly caused by human actions. Materials used in ammunition, fishing tackle, and fishing gear are the most common contributors to environmental lead. More than 80 per cent of the eagles and vultures who come to the Center have dangerously high lead levels, and this percentage increases significantly in the late fall/ early winter hunting season.

Animals affected by lead toxicity often present with neurologic symptoms, respiratory distress, and poor overall condition. If the lead poisoning alone doesn’t kill the eagle, the effects—poor coordination, altered mental status—make it more likely that they will be victims of starvation, vehicle collisions and other trauma.

This issue doesn’t just impact eagles and other wildlife. Lead ingested by people in game meat, even in microscopic amounts, accumulates over time. One study found that over 80 per cent of ground venison contained these microscopic fragments when lead- based ammunition was used. This can be especially harmful to growing children and pregnant women, causing significant health issues and developmental abnormalities.

And what happens to donated meat? We often receive donations of venison but we radiograph all of it prior to feeding to ensure it’s free of lead fragments. Unfortunately, places like food banks don’t have the same equipment and may be unknowingly feeding food contaminated with lead to their patrons.

The good news is that non-toxic ammunition is easily available, comparably priced, and has good or better ballistic characteristics than lead ammunition. At the Center, we have great respect for ethical hunters and anglers and understand how they support conservation efforts. Help the hunters in your life switch to non-toxic ammunition by sharing well-researched information and suggesting resources where they can learn more about and buy non-lead ammunition such as http:// www.huntingwithnonlead.org/.

Given the damage lead is causing to wildlife, hunters and their families, and the recipients of venison donations, it’s time to make the switch to non-lead ammunition.

The Blue Ridge Wildlife Center is the only dedicated wildlife hospital in Northern Virginia. A non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization, it cares for native wildlife by integrating veterinary medicine, rehabilitation, education and research. The center assists more than 3,000 native wildlife annually. For more information, visit www.blueridgewildlifectr.org.