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Eagle Made Very Sick By Lead Found Near Phelps

pixabay.com Adler Momentmal

WJFW TV is reporting a bald eagle is facing long odds to recover from lead poisoning.

Wild Instincts Rehab Center near Rhinelander received a call about a sick eagle on Christmas morning. The bird was from the Phelps area in Vilas county.

After tests, the level of lead in the bird was off the charts. Director Mark Naniot isn't sure if the eagle got sick from hunters or fishermen using lead gear, but he's frustrated by the preventable problem. He estimated they will spend many hours in treatment and thousands of dollars and the probability is the bird will die anyway, WJFW reported.

Naniot says some people don't believe that lead shot or fishing gear is the problem. He says if those people ever saw a bird sick with lead poisoning they would change their minds. He told the TV station he hopes hunters and anglers would use lead-free gear to reduce the risk of lead poisoning.

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