2 Bald Eagles Die From Lead Poisoning in Last Couple of Weeks in Virginia

WASHINGTON - Two bald eagles from Virginia have died from lead poisoning in the last two weeks, and a third is currently being treated as wildlife experts believe hunters could be to blame.

VIDEO: Steve Holmer, Director of the Bird Conservation Alliance

The latest eagle was found Tuesday in Prince William County near Route 234 between Manassas and Dumfries. After taken to a veterinary clinic in Burke, the bird was transported to the Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro.

A blood test confirmed the eagle was showing classic symptoms of lead toxicity.

The eagle died Thursday.

On December 30, a bald eagle with lead toxicity was admitted from Fauquier County, but died on January 1.

On January 1, a bald eagle from Chesapeake was admitted to the center with high lead levels. That eagle has completed its first round of chelation therapy.

The Wildlife Center says it admitted 36 bald eagles in 2011, with six of these birds showing signs of lead toxicity, and another 15 having measurable levels of lead.

The center says routine tests show many of these eagles are exposed to the highly toxic metal by ingesting lead shotgun pellets or bullet fragments. The eagles ingest these fragments while scavenging animals that have been shot but not recovered by hunters, or by feeding on the entrails of game animals, like deer, which have been harvested and “field dressed.”