Young bald eagle treated for severe lead poisoning doing well; Think Wild advocates use of non-lead ammunition

(Update: adding video, comments from Think Wild and North American Non-Lead Partnership)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Think Wild, Bend's wildlife hospital and conservation center, performed a procedure Thursday on a juvenile bald eagle suffering from severe lead toxicity, most likely poisoned by a lead bullet in an animal carcass.

The procedure is called chelation - essentially blocking the lead from spreading in the body.

Pauline Hice, Think Wild's director of wildlife rehabilitation, explained, "What that does is, the chelation agent binds to the lead molecules in the body so they can no longer leach or absorb into the body tissue and the animal can just pass them through normally."

"This eagle was originally found in the same area for 24 hours, not flighted, generally lethargic, easily caught, somewhat neurologic, so a little bit of toxic or wobbly," Hice said.

She says the eagle has responded well to treatment.

Hice said lead poisoning "can lead to infections, fungal infections, a lot of other issues with that. But luckily, we're not seeing that in the eagle."

Think Wild has treated six to 10 animals with lead poisoning over the last four years. This issue is not exclusive to Central Oregon; rather, it's a widespread issue across the U.S..

"When lead, like a shotgun lead bullet enters a deer or what have you, it spreads throughout the body and throughout the meat, so it essentially contaminates that meat," Hice said.

Think Wild advocates for hunters to use non-lead ammunition.

Leland Brown, co-founder of the North American Non-Lead Partnership , said, "What we're asking hunters to do is take actions that will reduce the potential of non-target wildlife getting lead exposure. One of those things is using non lead ammunition."

Brown says non-lead ammunition "is an all copper bullet that doesn't leave behind any lead because there's no lead in the bullet."

He tells NewsChannel 21 the organization is asking hunters to take as best care of the wildlife and ecosystems as they can through the material they use.

"Let's make sure that when we take that shot, the only thing that's happening is the thing we intended to do," Brown said. "And everything else, we're leaving it better than the way we found it."

The cost of lead ammunition verse non-lead is relatively the same. While most hunters are open to the idea, the transition to non-lead ammunition can be costly, and they're not widely available, due to pandemic and wars, as well as hoarding, according to Duane Dungannon with the Oregon Hunters Association.

Brown said, "The true cost for most people is that transition period, where they have to buy a few different types to find the one that works the best in their rifle before they get out in the field."

The Non-Lead Partnership has an education program with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. It teaches hunters about the benefits and how to access non-lead ammo.

Here's more, from Think Wild's Wednesday news release:

Think Wild received the eagle on Sunday after a community member saw the bird on the ground in their pasture for a few days. The rescuer noticed the bird could not fly well when approached, so they carefully contained the bird in a crate for transport to Think Wild.

Think Wild admitted the 7.4-pound juvenile bald eagle and performed an intake exam. Upon intake, the eagle tested positive for lead toxicity at 53.8 micrograms per deciliter (ug/dL), over five times what is considered clinical in wild raptors (10 ug/dL).

Think Wild said its staff will treat the bald eagle with injectable chelation therapy over the next few weeks. The chelating agents bind to the lead molecules in the eagle’s blood, allowing it to move through and out of the bird’s body.

So far, the eagle is perching, self-feeding, and resistant to handling, which are all positive signs. But there are persistent symptoms of lead toxicity as well - the eagle is lethargic and exhibits wing and head drooping when resting.

"As the chelating agents remove the lead from the eagle’s system, we hope to see an improvement in these neurologic symptoms," the organization said in a news release Wednesday

Raptors found with lead poisoning are said to have “lead intoxication.” They may appear “drunk,” with balance and coordination issues, lethargy and wing droop. Symptoms can also include leg paralysis, muscle wasting, dehydration, and anemia.

The vast majority of lead-poisoned eagles don’t survive, Think Wild says, and oftentimes those that are found must be humanely euthanized due to irreversible organ, muscle, visual, bone and brain damage.

Lead from ammunition is the primary source of lead toxicity in many species, like bald eagles, due to whole bullets or fragments left behind in live prey, gut piles, and carcasses ^[1] . It is likely that the eagle recently fed on a carcass or prey animal that contained fragmented lead ammunition.

Raptor lead toxicity increases during hunting season as gut piles or unrecovered game contaminated with lead are ingested by eagles, raptors, corvids and many other species, resulting in multiple food chain toxicities. Eagle nests near farms and agricultural areas can also be susceptible to toxic lead accumulation when lead shot is used for pest control, as adults may feed poisoned rodents to their nestlings.

Think Wild has treated over 20 birds of prey, including golden and bald eagles, turkey vultures, and Cooper's hawks, for lead toxicity since they began accepting raptor patients in 2021. Only four of those patients were releasable back to the wild.

Think Wild Director of Wildlife Rehabilitation Pauline Hice says, “Lead poisoning is an unfortunate occurrence that rehabilitators across the U.S. see regularly, due to the use of lead ammunition, lead sinkers and environmental contamination. Luckily, these cases are preventable.”

People can prevent lead poisoning in wildlife by using non-lead ammunition , fishing sinkers and rodent control. If you choose to use lead, bury dressing piles and keep the lead away from any sources of water.

If you see an eagle or any bird with symptoms of lead intoxication, Think Wild asks that you please contact their Wildlife Hotline at (541) 241-8680. Do not attempt to capture or offer food and water to injured wildlife without first contacting a licensed professional.

Bald eagles are protected in the United States by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Act.

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About Think Wild

Think Wild is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization located in Bend, Oregon. Our mission is to inspire the High Desert community to care for and protect native wildlife through rescue and rehabilitation, outreach and education, and conservation. We provide veterinary treatment and care at the wildlife hospital, staffed by expert wildlife rehabilitation staff, animal husbandry volunteers, and our staff veterinarian. Wildlife conflicts or injuries can be reported to our Wildlife Hotline at (541) 241-8680, which is monitored seven days a week from 8 AM to 4 PM. Visit us online at thinkwildco.org , or on Instagram or Facebook @thinkwildco.

^[1] Pain DJ, Mateo R, Green RE. Effects of lead from ammunition on birds and other wildlife: A review and update. Ambio. 2019 Sep;48(9):935-953. doi: 10.1007/s13280-019-01159-0. Epub 2019 Mar 16. PMID: 30879267; PMCID: PMC6675766.

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