| Title |
Lead Exposure in Bald Eagles from Big Game Hunting, the Continental Implications and Successful Mitigation Efforts
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
PLOS ONE, December 2012
|
| DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0051978 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Bryan Bedrosian, Derek Craighead, Ross Crandall |
| Abstract |
Studies suggest hunter discarded viscera of big game animals (i.e., offal) is a source of lead available to scavengers. We investigated the incidence of lead exposure in bald eagles in Wyoming during the big game hunting season, the influx of eagles into our study area during the hunt, the geographic origins of eagles exposed to lead, and the efficacy of using non-lead rifle ammunition to reduce lead in eagles. We tested 81 blood samples from bald eagles before, during and after the big game hunting seasons in 2005-2010, excluding 2008, and found eagles had significantly higher lead levels during the hunt. We found 24% of eagles tested had levels indicating at least clinical exposure (>60 ug/dL) during the hunt while no birds did during the non-hunting seasons. We performed driving surveys from 2009-2010 to measure eagle abundance and found evidence to suggest that eagles are attracted to the study area during the hunt. We fitted 10 eagles with satellite transmitters captured during the hunt and all migrated south after the cessation of the hunt. One returned to our study area while the remaining nine traveled north to summer/breed in Canada. The following fall, 80% returned to our study area for the hunting season, indicating that offal provides a seasonal attractant for eagles. We fitted three local breeding eagles with satellite transmitters and none left their breeding territories to feed on offal during the hunt, indicating that lead ingestion may be affecting migrants to a greater degree. During the 2009 and 2010 hunting seasons we provided non-lead rifle ammunition to local hunters and recorded that 24% and 31% of successful hunters used non-lead ammunition, respectively. We found the use of non-lead ammunition significantly reduced lead exposure in eagles, suggesting this is a viable solution to reduce lead exposure in eagles. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 116 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | 27 | 23% |
| Canada | 2 | 2% |
| Austria | 2 | 2% |
| Liechtenstein | 1 | <1% |
| Bulgaria | 1 | <1% |
| Hong Kong | 1 | <1% |
| Australia | 1 | <1% |
| United States | 1 | <1% |
| Unknown | 80 | 69% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 113 | 97% |
| Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | <1% |
| Scientists | 1 | <1% |
| Unknown | 1 | <1% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 94 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 2 | 2% |
| United Kingdom | 1 | 1% |
| Unknown | 91 | 97% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Researcher | 18 | 19% |
| Student > Master | 17 | 18% |
| Student > Bachelor | 11 | 12% |
| Other | 10 | 11% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 9 | 10% |
| Other | 9 | 10% |
| Unknown | 20 | 21% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 38 | 40% |
| Environmental Science | 14 | 15% |
| Veterinary Science and Veterinary Medicine | 8 | 9% |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 4 | 4% |
| Social Sciences | 3 | 3% |
| Other | 4 | 4% |
| Unknown | 23 | 24% |