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Local eagle that died from ingesting pieces of lead bullet example of needless hunting death. Date published: 1/10/2012 By Rob Hedelt THE CALL from There, Spotsylvania County wildlife rehabilitator Valerie Ackerman found the disoriented adult eagle huddled under some branches. After doing a quick assessment, she took There, Director of Veterinary Services Dave McRuer said The amount of the deadly metal in the bird's blood--most likely from feeding on the remains of a deer felled with lead ammunition--was several times higher than eagles can recover from. "Levels that high quickly attack the bird's eyes, rendering it blind," said McRuer, who added that the toxic metal also attacks an eagle's nerves, liver, kidneys, GI tract and lungs, the latter to the point where it has trouble breathing. Because the bird couldn't recover from such high levels of lead in its system, it was put down. McRuer, others at the nationally known wildlife hospital and a growing number of environmentalist and hunters are beginning to sound an alarm about how animals like the one in Caroline meet such ignoble and needless ends. They point to the remains of deer field-dressed and left in the woods as the source of lead, either from pieces of rifle bullets that shatter after impact or pellets of lead from shotgun shells. Ed Clark, president of the center, speaks to the issue from an interesting viewpoint. On one hand, he's in charge of the hospital that in 2011 treated 21 eagles found to have lead poisoning, more than half of all the eagles treated by the center during the year. But, since childhood, Clark has also been an avid hunter, owning and using a range of firearms to hunt all manner of animals, including deer. Although some organizations have called for a complete ban on all lead ammunition, he sees the answer in a few simple additions to hunter education.
1. Be respectful. No personal attacks.
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