Bald eagle dies by “preventable” lead poisoning says Utah animal center

OGDEN — The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah said they have treated a bald eagle for lead poisoning.

The animal did not survive. 

Seeing a bald eagle with lead poisoning is not out of the ordinary for this time of year, the center said in an Instagram post.

“This is the time when predators and carrion eaters of all types are scavenging from the gut piles left after a successful hunt,” read the center’s post.

Lead ingested by the eagle came from ammunition used to hunt deer. 

According to the center, a piece of lead “as small as the tip of a pencil” is enough to kill an eagle if they eat it.

In their post, the center asks hunters to consider using copper ammunition instead of lead.

Copper ammunition

According to ammunition manufacturer Remington, copper bullets are “ideal for big game or dangerous game.”

Additionally, Remington said copper bullets are “better than most lead bullets at closer ranges.”

However, the National Center for Biotechnology Information said copper bullets have been slow to gain popularity.

“Ever since their introduction in the 1990’s, copper-based bullets have not been widely accepted by hunters due to limited supply, higher expense, and the perception that they exhibit inferior killing efficiency and correspondingly higher wounding rates.”

In their report, ‘Unleaded hunting: Are copper bullets and lead-based bullets equally effective for killing big game?’ the NCBI recommended that hunters consider copper bullets “to enhance human and environmental health.”

Other reading:

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• Wildlife accidents are up despite Utah’s mild winter
• Environmental groups worry Utah Inland Port Authority may reactivate coal mine

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