Eagle death believed to be lead poisoning

An eagle that was rescued by P.E.I. wildlife officials and taken to the Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown two weeks ago has died.

Dr. Marion Desmarchelieroff AVC's Wildlife Medicine Service told CBC News tests show the eagle had extreme levels of lead in its blood, likely caused by eating the carcass of a crow that had been shot with lead pellets.

Desmarchelier said licensed hunters can legally use lead shot on game if they retrieve the carcass, but there are no rules for so-called nuisance animals, like crows and racoons.

"It would be very important that the people hunting with lead, know that they need to collect the carcasses and put them in a place that is really not accessible to any form of wildlife," she said.

"We see it in eagles but any other species that is going to eat these crows, they will be poisoned."

Gerald MacDougall, manager of fish and wildlife for the province, said if education doesn't stop people from leaving leadshot-carcasses to be scavenged, the province will consider banning lead pellets to kill animals such as crows or racoons.

For mobile device users: Watch video of the eagle rescue here

Should P.E.I. ban the use of lead shot?