Dane County Humane Society warns of wildlife lead poisoning (Excellent educational resources at the links posted below and expanded in the "Information" thread.)
https://www.channel3000.com/news/dane-county-humane-society-warns-of-wildlife-lead-poisoning/915992051
Dane County Humane Society's Wildlife Center
December 6 at 1:23 PM
We are sad to report that we've admitted our first case of lead toxicity in a bald eagle this season. Not only did we find a high level of lead in his blood, but on top that already major problem, he is also dealing with some traumatic injuries after being hit by a car.
We've discussed the subject of lead toxicity in wildlife many times here, but because there are still many people who haven't heard the message, we want to take this opportunity to educate about the risks lead poses to wildlife. The majestic bald eagles often draw the most attention to this issue, but many species of wildlife are affected. We've treated lead toxicity in other species such as snapping turtles, blue jays, crows, mourning doves, opossum, swans, geese, ducks, gulls, Sandhill cranes, loons and other raptors such as screech owls, turkey vultures, red-tailed hawks, and great horned owls.
The biggest risk to wildlife is from ingestion of spent lead shot, fishing sinkers, jigs and other tackle, or through consumption of wounded or dead prey (including gut piles from field dressed deer) containing lead shot, bullets or fragments. The best solution to the lead issue with wildlife is prevention. Non-toxic, lead-free fishing and ammunition options are available for these activities, and we encourage everyone to make the switch.
We are not out to place blame on hunters and fishermen - we know that most are conservationists and care about wildlife and their habitats. This isn't an anti-hunting or fishing issue, and certainly not a gun control issue as it sometimes is accused of being. It is simply an issue of the choice of metal used for these activities, and we are asking you to consider the use of the lead-free, non-toxic ammunition and fishing tackle options that are available to help prevent more damage to wildlife like this eagle.
For those of you interested in more information, here are a few websites to check out.
http://dnr.wi.gov/top?/fishing/fishhealth/gettheleadout.htmlhttp://www.huntingwithnonlead.org/https://www.raptor.umn.edu/our-research/lead-poisoninghttps://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2009/3051/pdf/fs2009-3051.pdf
