Eagle poisoned with lead dies
Hat tip, ARLnow.com: Meanwhile in D.C. by Rachel Sadon December 8, 2017 at 9:15 am
Local
Eagle poisoned with lead dies
By Dana Hedgpeth December 7 at 10:03 AM
The animal experts could tell there was something off with the adult bald eagle as soon as it was brought to City Wildlife, a rehabilitation center in Northwest Washington. ... The bird wasnt flying and wasnt using its legs properly. ... And it was feisty.
All signs, experts said, pointed to lead poisoning, and a blood test confirmed that the eagle had high levels of lead, said Paula Goldberg, executive director of City Wildlife. ... Experts had treated the raptor and hoped it would recover. But they had noted that its prognosis was guarded. ... On Thursday morning, experts said the eagle had died sometime Wednesday night.
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The eagle was brought to City Wildlife Tuesday by an officer with the Maryland Natural Resources Police who found it in Nanjemoy, in Southern Maryland. Goldberg said the bird was found in woods, sitting on its haunches, about 100 feet from a road. ... There was clearly something wrong with it, Goldberg said. Wildlife veterinarians at City Wildlife examined the bird. Goldberg said it is not uncommon for bald eagles to have elevated levels of lead.
Raptors are susceptible to lead poisoning because they often eat dead animals that have been hunted with ammunition that contains lead. Goldberg said, for example, that if a bald eagle eats a deer that has been shot with lead ammunition instead of copper, the lead stays in the deers body and then is digested when an eagle eats the deer. ... Goldberg said her staff thinks thats probably what happened to this bald eagle.
The bald eagle was found to have elevated levels of lead poisoning. (City Wildlife)
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Dana Hedgpeth is a Post reporter, working the early morning, reporting on traffic, crime and other local issues. Follow @postmetrogirl