Hunters canvassing Nova Scotia's wildlife reserves are licensed to shoot deer and waterfowl, but their bullets may be harming unintended prey.
Helene Van Doninck, a veterinarian who runs a charitable rehabilitation centre for injured wildlife, told the Chronicle Herald she's frustrated by having to continually treat the area's eagles for lead poisoning.
She said she suspects the lead comes from the ammunition used by hunters, which enters animals' systems when they eat shell casings or another animal whose body contains lead fragments.
"Every eagle we've had has some levels of lead," she said, adding that two eagles she treated last month did not survive.
"You can talk to people all across the continent (who work with wildlife) and every year they see this. . . . If I get an eagle in that's not broken in some obvious way — wing or leg — lead is my first suspicion."
As the paper reports, lead, being a soft metal, breaks down quickly inside an eagle's system, spreading the neurotoxin into the blood and affecting the creature's brain, nervous system, respiratory system, digestive system, and circulatory system.
"Usually they look quite stunned," Van Doninck described. "You could walk up to it and touch it and it might (react) but usually they have their head down, their wings drooped and they're just stoned, basically."
Though eagles with lower levels of lead poisoning can often be treated successfully, the article suggested humans could also be at risk as lead particles that make their way into our meat are often undetectable and can lead to potential health complications.
A paragraph from the Natural Resources Department's 2011 hunting regulations notes that lead bullet fragments in game meat are a possible health risk to anyone who may consume wild meat.
"It has recently been learned that modern high-velocity lead ammunition often fragments on impact with a large animal, sending very small shards of lead into the meat and organs up to (46 centimetres) from the visible bullet path," it said.
"Although there is no conclusive evidence linking lead fragmentation in large game animals to lead poisoning in humans, this does not mean there is no risk," the report continued.
Several posters who identified themselves as hunters refuted Van Doninck's claims, saying most of the lead found in all animals can be traced to airborne pollution and fishing sinkers.
Others jumped to the article's defense, pointing out a study by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources that showed a definitive link between lead exposure and toxicity in small children.
For Van Doninck, however, the solution is simple.
"If [the hunters] tell manufacturers of ammunition that they don't want to use lead anymore, then they're going to scramble to make more non-lead (products) and they're going to make it as affordable."
(Reuters file photo)
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