Decades after a comeback from the brink of extinction, the iconic American bald eagle faces another threat: lead poisoning.
Nearly half the bald eagles tested in a 2022 study showed symptoms of chronic lead poisoning due to repeated lead exposures, and a third displayed signs of acute poisoning caused by high lead levels.
Tamara Yarger is founder of Hog Capitol Wildlife Rescue and Rehab in Kewanee. She treats injured animals found throughout a wide swath of central and western Illinois, though she said she would go anywhere to help a lead-poisoned eagle. She said it's a heartbreaking situation when one comes in.
"There's a lot that goes with it. Their functions shut down, their digestive system. It can affect the retinas; it can do neurological damage. I mean, there's so much that we have to fight when they get lead poisoned," she said. "It's pretty bad. You can tell when they're sick with it when we go to rescue because they'll be sitting on their ground with their head down, and you could tell they're sick."
Because eagles don't always immediately show signs of lead poisoning, it's often not caught until the sickness is in its advanced stages. Yarger has equipment to test for lead poisoning, but sometimes it's too late to help by the time the sick eagles are found.
Yarger says the number one source of lead poisoning is ammunition. Eagles are opportunistic eaters, and they often contract lead poisoning by feeding from deer gut piles.
"You have to be proactive when you use lead ammunition," Yarger said. "You either have to bury the gut pile, or you have to bag it and take it and incinerate it or something because it's toxic."
Lead fishing sinkers are also a big issue for eagles. A ban on lead fishing sinkers and jigs was proposed in Illinois back in 2009, but the bill was watered down to an educational program before passing into law.
Lead is toxic to both humans and animals. The American Eagle Foundation calls lead poisoning a "silent killer," and says it tangibly impacts the health of bald eagle populations.
Lead tackles and ammo got a boost in 2017, when Ryan Zinke reversed an Obama administration rule banning their usage on federal lands on his first day as Secretary of the Interior. The decision was celebrated by the National Rifle Association and many hunting advocacy groups.
A bill introduced later in 2017 by Illinois state Sen. Don Harmon banning the usage of lead ammunition in state parks and natural areas failed to become law.
For her part, Yarger doesn't believe much can be accomplished legislatively on the politicized issue. She said the most she can do is raise awareness of what's happening to the animals she works with, and encourage people to use alternatives to lead.
"Just be mindful of what you're putting into nature. Because it may seem okay, but it may not be," she said.
Yarger said bald eagles are dangerous to handle. If you find a sick eagle, she said to call a qualified wildlife professional for help, and wait until they can arrive.
More than 3,100 eagles winter in Illinois each year. That's second only to Alaska in the U.S.
