Lead poisoning from ammunition, fishing weights, and industrial contamination kills millions of wild birds and mammals annually through painful, prolonged deaths.
Lead poisoning causes neurological deterioration, weakness, and a slow death in affected wildlife. The scale of the problem is enormous: millions of scavenging birds consume lead fragments in deer and game carcasses annually. The solution is technically simple: switching to copper ammunition eliminates the primary source of secondary lead poisoning. Consumer demand for lead-free game meat and legislative requirements would accelerate transition.