The Pennsylvania Game Commission will now provide all game wardens with non-lead ammunition for use in dispatching injured deer and other wildlife.
Animals euthanized with this ammunition will now be free of lead fragments and safer for scavenging birds, such as bald and golden eagles, to ingest.
Susan Gallagher, Chief Naturalist at Carbon County Environmental Education Center, applauded the move.
“Our state game agency has a long history of wildlife conservation. We’re thrilled to see that continue in a step that protects all scavenging bird species.”
This action coincides with PGC efforts encouraging hunters to consider non-lead ammunition or to remove/cover entrails and other parts after animals are harvested.
Hunter-Trapper Education Instructors in the Game Commission’s Northeast Region will also be providing information to students on how hunters can help reduce lead-toxicity in birds.
PGC officials note that with significant advancements in non-lead ballistics over the past decade, performance and cost of this safer ammunition is now comparable to lead counterparts.
State biologists confirm that nearly a third of all bald eagle mortalities in Pennsylvania are a result of lead poisoning.
“The best hope these birds have is in prevention,” said Gallagher. “Treatment is lengthy, costly, and doesn’t always end in release. We treated two eagles for lead in 2018 and neither made it back to the wild. It’s heartbreaking when you know it’s preventable”
Although bald eagles prefer fish, they are opportunistic scavengers. While scavenged food is critical for eagle survival, remains can also be a dangerous source of exposure to expended lead ammunition fragments.
Non-recovered game, other animal remains, and offal piles are all primary sources of exposure for eagles in Pennsylvania. One simple solution to reduce lead exposure in eagles is to utilize non-lead ammunition when dispatching or harvesting game that might be eaten by raptors.
Sportsmen can also remove/cover entrails and retrieve carcasses from the field to reduce scavenging by birds.
The move to non-lead for wardens is currently limited to .22 caliber ammunition, to be used whenever feasible.
Add Comment