Lead-free bullets could control feral pigs without poisoning eagles

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-03-12 06:00

Australia; NSW; VIC; WA

CSIRO, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Lead-free bullets are just as effective as lead-based bullets for controlling feral pigs, but without the risk of introducing toxic lead into the environment, according to Australian research. Lead fragments from aerial shooting programs in Australia can poison native animals, such as wedge-tailed eagles, that scavenge on animal remains. The study estimates that, given the number of wild pigs killed in NSW each year, using lead shot would produce the equivalent of 67,000 doses of lead that would be toxic to an eagle.

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conference: PLOS ONE

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: The University of Melbourne, Murdoch University, NSW Government

Funder: All funds for the project were met through the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries “Special Purpose Pest Management Rate” fund, with in-kind support from the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service covering the remainder of costs. The funder provided support in the form of salaries for some authors [JOH and ALP].

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