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Bald Eagles in nest-Pixabay-8743805_1920

Once an endangered species, the population of bald eagles in New York continues to grow. But their success is not without threats to continued population growth, including lead poisoning.
Two subadult Bald Eagles scavenging along the river's edge by Christine Bogdanowicz.

A new study from Cornell researchers finds that among more than 30 species of birds and mammals known to scavenge deer carcasses in New York state, bald eagles are the most vulnerable to lead poisoning from hunters’ ammunition and best bioindicator for ongoing monitoring of the hazard.
A close-up of a Bald Eagle.

New York state is expanding a multi-year study of how increased use of non-lead ammunition for deer hunting can improve the survival of bald and golden eagles.
A Great Blue Heron hunting for fish in a lake by Christine Bogdanowicz

Cornell’s Dr. Krysten Schuler and David Dayan discuss how pollution in the environment - from lead to PFAS - affects wildlife, and how birds are threatened on multiple fronts.
K. Lisa Yang

A transformational gift from philanthropist and Cornell alumna K. Lisa Yang ’74 will endow and rename the Cornell Wildlife Health Center as the Cornell K. Lisa Yang Center for Wildlife Health at the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Krysten Schuler, director of the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab, looks on as pathologist Gavin Hitchener performs a necropsy on a bald eagle by Noël Heaney.

State agencies are stepping up education and outreach to promote voluntary adoption of non-lead alternatives, acting on recommendations from their Lead Ammunition Working Group, a multidisciplinary partnership that includes the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab.
One Health ad showing a bear cub amongst flowers.

Video

In this eCornell webinar, Dr. Steve Osofsky, Dr. Krysten Schuler, and Dr. Jennifer Bloodgood of the Cornell Wildlife Health Center at the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine share their experiences from the field and the lab to illustrate how the health of wildlife and our own health are inextricably linked.
A Bald Eagle in flight by Richard Lee/Unsplash

For Your Information

While the recent population recovery of bald eagles in New York State is a conservation success, evidence from necropsies suggest that ingested lead from ammunition fragments is causing morbidity and mortality to wild eagles.
Dr. Krysten L. Schuler of Cornell University receiving The Robert McDowell Award for Conservation Management Excellence.

Congratulations to Cornell's Dr. Krysten Schuler, who received the highest honor from the Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies—The Robert McDowell Award for Conservation Management Excellence.
A mature Bald Eagle sitting in a tree by Christine Bogdanowicz

A bald eagle surprised fellow travelers as it was spotted being taken through a TSA checkpoint at a U.S. airport. Cornell's Dr. Krysten Schuler, who led a study showing bald eagles' population size is being threatened by lead poisoning, comments, "Even though the population seems like it's recovered, some perturbation could come along that could cause eagles to decline again."