Petition Watch: 'Stop Poisoning Bald Eagles With Toxic Lead' Nearing First Signature Milestone - EnviroNews | The Environmental News Specialists

Petition Watch: ‘Stop Poisoning Bald Eagles With Toxic Lead’ Nearing First Signature Milestone

Shares

(EnviroNews World News) — A signable petition, published by the non-profit media and animal advocacy organization Lady Freethinker, is nearing its next signature milestone of 35,000 signers on the Change.org platform. The petition demands that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) stop the inadvertent careless poisoning of America’s bird, the iconic bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), with “toxic lead” from hunting munitions.

The petition states:

After the kill, hunters often leave carcasses and gut piles riddled with ammunition in their wake. These carcasses are attractive sources of food for bald eagles. But because hunters use lead ammunition, this meat is toxic — and often fatal.

In the petition’s writeup, Lady Freethinker points out that after years of sounding alarms over lead poisoning in birds, “Finally, in January 2017, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service addressed the problem and announced a policy that would prohibit lead ammunition in more than 150 million acres of National Wildlife Refuges and other federal land and waterways by 2020.” But the Department of the Interior (Interior), under newly appointed Secretary Ryan Zinke, reversed that action in early March.

In regards to Zinke’s move, Neal McNamara of Patch.com wrote:

On his first day on the job as Interior Secretary on Thursday, Zinke, a former Montana Congressman and avid hunter, signed an order repealing an Obama ban on use of lead ammunition and fishing tackle on certain federal lands. The ban wasn’t in place long, however: Obama signed the directive on Jan. 20, his last day in office.

On the same day Zinke signed the backward-moving rule (again his first day as head of the Interior), the death of a bald eagle in Washington State at the Sarvey Wildlife Center made headlines around the country, after that bird expired following a week-long battle from acute lead poisoning — bringing attention yet again to an issue that kills millions of wild animals in America every year.

The petition criticizes Zinke’s backpedaling, and asserts, “The rescinding of this protection shows a blatant disregard for the well-being of animals.”

The petition also points to an LA Times article from 2010 that states, “Scientists estimate that more than 10 million birds and other animals die each year from lead poisoning in the United States,” and also adds, “Water birds such as cranes, ducks and loons also suffer from the toxic effects after ingesting discarded or lost lead fishing weights that are mistaken for food or grit.”

The petition can be visited, examined further, and signed by interested citizens at this link: https://www.change.org/p/sign-stop-poisoning-bald-eagles-with-toxic-lead?recruiter=88751072&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=autopublish&utm_term=des-lg-action_alert_sign-no_msg

MORE GREAT STORIES ON EAGLES FROM ENVIRONEWS

Amazing Video: French Military Training Golden Eagles to Take Out Drones

(EnviroNews World News) – The French Air Force is taking drone defense to a whole new level. Their state-of-the-art weapons: four golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos). Yes, you did read that right, as in the living bird, and this aerial quartet has been trained since birth to take out…

Bald Eagle Gets Hit, Crumpled and Swallowed by Saturn Air Intake – See What Happens Next

(EnviroNews World News) – A story featuring a very lucky, or unlucky (depending how you look at it) bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) has been circulating around the internet after the bird was hit by a car, crunched and crumpled into an automotive grill where the raptor became lodged….

Totally Insane Footage: Australian Wedge-Tailed Eagle Slams and Takes Out Drone

(EnviroNews World News) – Victoria, Australia – Aquila audax, or the Australian wedge-tailed eagle, is one of the largest and most powerful predatory birds sailing the skies above planet earth to be sure, but what one member of the species did in this video is simply something you…

New Year = New Life: WATCH: Eagle Cam: First Bald Eagle Chick Hatches in Florida Nest

(EnviroNews USA Headline News Desk) – Fort Myers, Florida – Harriet the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and her mate M15 (short for Male 2015) are now the proud parents of one healthy chick and are awaiting the emergence of another in their nest near Fort Myers, Florida. The…

Bald Eagle Smacks Donald Trump Upside the Head (and Hair) With Its Wing

(EnviroNews World News) – An American bald eagle smacked Donald Trump upside the head in August of 2015 when he was prepping for a TIME Magazine cover story. To be clear, the eagle bashed him in the hair not once, but several times – real quick like -…

Photo: 2 Seagulls Attack Bald Eagle in Flight – See Who Comes Out on Top

(EnviroNews World News) – An incredible photo has been been circulating online after the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) posted it to its Twitter and Facebook accounts. The snapshot shows an Alaskan Bald Eagle brawling with two seagulls in midair. It was taken by David Canales while…

Phenomenal and Competitive Wildlife Party Goes Down on Alaska’s Final Frontier

(EnviroNews Alaska) – There are still a few places left on our now sadly tattered planet – totally remote and wild – where the nature and wildlife displays are so amazing that we at times prefer not to disclose the location, so as NOT to attract any more…

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

FILM AND ARTICLE CREDITS