Lead poisoning

Residues of lead shot can cause severe poisoning in Bearded Vultures and other birds of prey. To minimize this risk, the Foundation Pro Bearded Vulture has produced a leaflet:

The essentials in brief

  • Large raptors and especially Bearded Vultures are sensitive to lead poisoning.
  • Accessible carcasses of wild animals that have been shot with lead ammunition are dangerous for these species.
  • This risk is from both lead shot and bullets containing lead, since they usually splinter in the carcase.
  • It is, therefore, necessary to remove the carcases of animals killed with lead shot to make them inaccessible to scavengers and birds of prey in particular.
  • Various lead-free ammunition has already proven itself in practical tests. Also leaded ammunition which leaves significantly less lead in the animal body is available (Bonded bullets). It is recommended to consider the use of alternative types of ammunition.