LEAD POISONING, AVIAN - USA (WA): TRUMPETER SWAN
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Date: Wed 2 Feb 2011
Source: Seattle Post Intelligencer Blogs [edited] <http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/archives/237933.asp>
Trumpeter swans poisoned on Olympic Peninsula
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Majestic trumpeter swans are dying of lead poisoning in unusually high numbers, the Northwest Raptor & Wildlife Center, a Sequim-based [Washington state] wildlife rescue and rehabilitation organization reported Wednesday [2 Feb 2011].
"We have personally treated at least 6 cases of fatal lead poisoning in Olympic Peninsula trumpeter swans just this winter [2010-2011], which is likely only a fraction of the number of poisoning cases in the wild," said Matthew Randazzo of the Center.
"All of these swans were shown to have ingested lead ammunition, which is poisonous across a wide range of species. If these swans had died in the wild, it's likely that their carcasses would have been consumed by scavengers such as bald eagles, who then could have been poisoned as well.
Trumpeter swans are migratory winter residents of the Olympic Peninsula. They are on average the largest native species of bird in North America. They were once hunted nearly to extinction, but have been successfully reintroduced in Canada and the United States despite a widespread prevalence of lead poisoning within the species.
Swan-watching draws crowds of photographers to the Skagit Valley, and to the Reifel bird sanctuary in British Columbia's [Canada] Fraser Delta, each winter. A homesteading family at remote Lonesome Lake in [British Columbia's] Coast Range helped restore trumpeter swans by feeding them during winter months.
"The Northwest Raptor & Wildlife Center was founded by lifelong hunters and gun owners and we are extremely thankful to all of the responsible sportsmen and women who make donations of venison, salmon, and grouse for our animals' diet," said the Center's director-founder Jayne Moore.
"We are not anti-hunter at all. We just want to inform the public that there are many ammunition options available to all hunters, and we advise all gun lovers and sportsmen to avoid toxic lead ammunition completely and get it out of the food chain.
And, added Randazzo, "The side effects of lead ammunition use include the slow, painful, and pathetic deaths of unintended animals such as swans and eagles. That is an outcome that no one, from vegans to trophy hunters, wants to see.
[Byline: Joel Connelly]
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[Many (most) birds pick up (ingest) small stones, rocks, etc that are used by the crop to help grind the food the birds consume.
Consequently, the birds pick up bits of lead pieces among the gravel pieces. The bits of lead remain in the crop/gizzard and perhaps other parts of a bird's body, and slowly leach into the bird's system. Lead will leach more in an acid environment.
While trumpeter swans may be new to the headlines, birds experiencing lead poisoning from these bits of lead shot is not a new phenomenon.
Lead can have effects on the kidneys, and in some animals, the neurological system, the bone marrow, and even vision.
Certainly some forms of treatment exist. However, treatment is not on a herd or flock basis but on an individual basis, which can be both expensive and time consuming. Consequently, facilities such as the ones mentioned in this article, and other such facilities, are necessary to treat birds that may be threatened species. - Mod.TG]
[Photos of trumpeter swans can be seen at <http://www.swanparadise.com/Trumpeter-Swan.html>.
Washington State and the Olympic Peninsula can be seen on the HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map at <http://healthmap.org/r/0rkZ>. - Sr.Tech.Ed.MJ]
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