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Lead ammunition is poisoning bald eagles [1]
['Jason Weisberger']
Date: 2023-02-02
Having been removed from the endangered species list in 2007, the American bald eagle still has its struggles. In Michigan, the lead ammunition used by hunters is poisoning the birds at an increasing rate.
MLive:
An eight-year study published in 2022 found that nearly half of bald and golden eagles nationwide tested positive for chronic lead poisoning. In Michigan, where the bald eagle population sits between 3,500-4,000, lead poisoning is the species' third leading cause of death; eight eagles die of accidental lead poisoning for every one eagle illegally killed, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Research has found the main source of this environmental toxin is lead ammunition in wild game carcasses and "gut piles" – entrails left behind when hunters clean game in the field. Lead bullets shatter on impact, resulting in countless microscopic fragments that are easily swallowed by scavenging eagles when they happen upon that free meal.
It appears that a ban on toxic ammo is impossible because people lack that decency.
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https://boingboing.net/2023/02/02/lead-ammunition-is-poisoning-bald-eagles.html
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