A golden eagle died of lead poisoning
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“Another case of death of a protected species due to the deadly lead poisoninglead poisoning caused by the diffusion of shotgun pellets”. The WWF denounces the case of aGolden Eagle, arrived in recent days in the CRAS (wild animal recovery center) in the municipality of Cenate Sopra (Bergamo) “and coming from an area with high hunting pressure”. The young female had been recovered by the provincial police in the province of Brescia and delivered to the veterinarians of Wwf wild animal recovery center in Valpredina. “In evident difficulty and presented symptoms of intoxication, he underwent specific therapies and radiographic and blood tests to rule out fractures or viral pathologies”, explains the environmental association that took care of the raptor.
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“However, the results of the haematological tests left no doubts: very high levels of lead in the blood (1,000 micrograms per litre) certified the serious heavy metal poisoning“, denounces the WWF, “the seriousness of the conditions in which the eagle was found rendered the treatments in vain: the raptor, in fact, died just over 24 hours after hospitalization and the autopsy showed high levels of lead also in the animal’s bones and brainshowing that it was not only an acute but also a chronic intoxication”.
This result “is even more disturbing in light of the age of the raptor, which was only two years old. This means that the animal, in the course of its short life, fed on a very large number of animals in turn contaminated with lead. The fact that the eagle was recovered in an area with a high density of hunting lodges, then, makes the impact that this activity determines evident”, warns the association.
Unfortunately, that of the golden eagle cannot be considered an isolated case. Lead contamination and poisoning of animals, especially birds of prey and vultures, is a widespread problem: in Messina, the provincial wildlife recovery center managed by the Man association is hosting aBonelli’s eaglealso hospitalized for lead poisoning. The European Agency for chemical substancesrecalls the association, “has in fact clarified how the use of lead involves a risk for waterfowl who ingest the lead ammunition which spread after the shots, with consequent toxicological effects, even lethal”.
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It is estimated that every year, in Europe, thelead poisoning cause one million deaths waterfowl, in addition to the species that feed on contaminated animals (such as birds of prey) and the risks to our health. In the’manexposure to this metal, which can end up in water and cultivated land, can cause not only, for example, hypertension and anemia, but is also associated with effects on the nervous system, kidney function and fertility, with impaired pregnancy and death.
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“The risks caused by lead ammunition used for hunting on ecosystems and human health are an established fact”, recalls the WWF and this is why the European Union has adopted regulation (EU) 2021/57, which prohibits the use of lead ammunition in or near wetlands.
“The fact that the government has approved an interpretative circular that goes against this regulation testifies to how strong the pressure from the hunting and gun lobby is, to the point of sacrificing everyone’s interest in protecting the environment and human health “, stigmatizes the association. This approach “is unacceptable” and the WWF “will fight in every forum to guarantee the application of the EU regulation, urging the managing bodies to impose a ban on any form of hunting in the Natura 2000 areas through an impact assessment on hunting calendars“.
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