80-90% of the bald eagles that come into our hospital test positive for some level of lead in their system, with about 30% at fatal levels. But where are they getting this toxic substance?
As scavengers, bald eagles will readily eat on gut piles left in the field from deer hunters. Lead ammunition, widely used for deer hunting, splinters on impact and small fragments can spread throughout the deer's body. A piece of lead as small as a grain of rice is enough to kill a healthy eagle.
Learn more about lead poisoning, what we're doing, and how you can help