U.S. bald eagles comeback diminished by lead poisoning from bullets

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bald eagles have lifted themselves from the brink of extinction in the United States but deaths caused by lead poisoning from ingesting hunters' bullets left in wildlife remains are holding back their population recovery, scientists say.

Population increases of the majestic bird recognized as the national symbol of the United States have been suppressed by 6.3 percent for males and 4.2 percent for females, said the study by researchers at the Department of Public and Ecosystem Health at Cornell University, published in the Journal of Wildlife Management this week.

"Mortalities from the ingestion of (lead) reduced the long-term growth rate and resiliency of bald eagles in the northeast United States over the last 3 decades," the study said.

The lead is found in organs left behind in the wild by hunters who "field dress," or gut, their kill, abandoning the contaminated remains to be scavenged by eagles.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/us-bald-eagles-comeback-diminished-by-lead-poisoning-from-bullets/ar-AASNc0A

[hunter]

1. If I was Emperor I'd ban all lead ammunition for any use.

California banned hunters from using lead ammunition in 2013 to protect the condors but there are still plenty of brain damaged twits spewing that toxic shit everywhere.

[NickB79]

2. I'm waiting impatiently for good lead-free .22 ammo

I shoot a lot of targets on my property, and use backstops that collect the bullets for disposal because I hate the idea of my stupid chickens eating lead bits for grit. I'd love lead-free ammo to do more informal plinking. But it's surprisingly hard to make a good .22LR cartridge without lead; the few out there are inaccurate as hell.

[hunter]

3. I'll bet gold would work very well for this purpose.

Easily recoverable, and it might even be affordable if people quit hoarding gold as a stagnant and destructive measure of "wealth."

Hah. That'll be the basis of another imperial decrees.

Henceforth all gold belongs to the Emperor, and will be distributed (or not) at their pleasure.

I'll send you some gold ammunition for plinking, but it will be up to you to recover it and return it for recycling.