Booted Eagle saved Project support for 2012 Spring ... - LIPU-UK

“The impact of lead-poisoning on vultures andpartial carrion-eating raptors is much greater thanwas thought.” So says Enrico Bassi, ornithologistof the Stelvio National Park who, from 2008, withMaria Ferloni, of the Fauna of the Park of Stelvio,works on the experimental research on the riskof lead poisoning, in the project “Welcome BackLammergeier”.How did the project start?After having registered 2 cases, in 2005 and 2008, ofAlpine Lammergeier poisoned by lead, we discoveredthat this had already been covered in the literature. Inthe last decade, in fact, several cases of lead poisoningin raptors have been reported. Furthermore, inBavaria the ornithologist Brendl considers leadpoisoning the prime cause of unnatural deaths inGolden Eagles.But how is it possible that they ingest all this lead?The deer hunters, in all Alpine countries, usetraditional lead bullets, which, after the animal isstruck, fragment into dozens of minuscule shreds.It is common practice to empty out the slaughteredhead at the hunting place, so as not to contaminatethe meat and to reduce the weight to carry home.Poisoning of the raptors is certain when they feed onabandoned entrails, containing lead fragments.What are the results of your researches?At present we have analysed about 150 deer entrailsand these show a medium-positive presence of leadin more than 60% of samples, in some species 70%.The risk that a predator could feed on contaminatedAli Spring 12Page 11