Hunters using lead ammunition are posing real harm to bald eagles.
The Wildlife Center of Virginia has admitted its 43rd bald eagle patient of the year, a grim record for single-year admissions during the center's 35-year history.
Officials say nearly 70 percent of the eagles admitted had measurable amounts of lead in their blood. Six had lead levels too high for the center's in-house lead analyzer to measure.
Bald eagles can ingest small fragments of lead ammunition as they scavenge deer carcasses or other animals that have been shot. A lead fragment the size of a grain of rice can kill a bald eagle.
"When a harvested deer is 'field dressed' -- the practice of removing the internal organs from animals harvested for human consumption – the gut piles that are left behind on the ground can contain extremely small fragments of lead ammunition," The Wildlife Center said in a statement.
The center has been encouraging hunters to stop using lead-based ammunition.
