GPS-tracked bald eagle dies of lead poisoning
A Kelly-based wildlife group says the final bald eagle it was tracking through GPS has died of lead poisoning.
The Jackson Hole News and Guide reports the group Craighead Beringia South has been tracking eagles in the area for the past several years and researches the link between hunting with lead bullets and lead poisoning of raptors.
Beringia South avian biologist Bryan Bedrosian says the eagle was found next to an elk carcass near the Bar BC Ranch in northwestern Wyoming a couple of weeks ago.
Bedrosian says the lead in the eagle probably was a result of the mature male feeding on elk carcasses and gut piles left in the area by hunters. The group says an average of 145 visible lead fragments are left in each pile.
