Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by NittLion78 1909 days ago
You still see a lot of them being brought into wildlife rescue hospitals for lead poisoning from having eaten birdshot or in some other way ingesting fired ammunition. Seems to be the biggest issue in the Midwest for them, anyway.

Either way, as a kid I remember being told to assume you'd never see one and they'd probably be extinct in my lifetime. Now I couldn't even tell you how many I've seen, from as far east as PA and north to AK.
1 comments
JoeAltmaier 1909 days ago
I see reports about 'a dozen' etc suffering from lead ingestion. But no national statistics, just anecdotes.

Considering that hunters shoot millions of lead bullets each year, it seems a small problem? It's suggested that birds eat guts from eviscerated animals that hunters leave behind. Perhaps a policy of burying or scattering the guts would solve the problem?

link
hkarthik 1909 days ago
It's a much smaller scale problem than the pesticide issue.

Here in Northern California, we're actually unable to use poisons on pest rodents like squirrels and rats since they often enter the ecosystem through raptors ingesting them.

My friends with a lot of land were advised to get pellet guns and air rifles to deal with their squirrel problems. It's considered the lowest impact to the ecosystem and food chain.

link
giardini 1908 days ago
Bird-lovers have pushed an anti-lead agenda (for hunting) for decades and have been highly successful. They continue to make inroads into banning use of lead entirely:

"Bald eagles across the United States are dying from lead poisoning":

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/16/us/bald-eagles-dying-lead...

"CALIFORNIA'S LEAD AMMO BAN IN EFFECT JULY 1[2019]":

https://www.gohunt.com/read/news/californias-lead-ammo-ban-i...

I think most of this is anti-gun lobbying. When people are reduced to stoning wild ducks and spearing deer then anti-gunners will ask Congress to ban sticks and stones.

link
devb 1908 days ago
What a hyperbolic reply. We just want them to use steel shot. It's really not a big deal.
link
JoeAltmaier 1908 days ago
...says somebody who doesn't shoot. Its a big deal. Steel shot isn't just about being a different metal. Its about a quarter of the specific gravity. A quarter of the momentum.

You shoot steel from the same barrel as lead, it's a quite different effect. Range, drop, spread are all different, and lesser.

link
devb 1908 days ago
That convenience is worth the terrible environmental impact to you?
link
JoeAltmaier 1907 days ago
The environmental impact has not been measured in a meaningful way. Its hyperbole so far. And its not convenience; its a necessity for many.
link