Raptors are disproportionately affected by secondary poisoning from rodenticides and lead ammunition, causing suffering at an enormous scale that targeted policy and practice changes can reduce.
Raptor poisoning represents a large-scale, preventable welfare problem with identifiable solutions. Secondary rodenticide poisoning arises because raptors are naturally positioned at the top of rodent food chains — the same ecological role that makes them valuable pest controllers also makes them vulnerable to accumulated toxins in their prey. Lead poisoning from ammunition fragments dispersed through hunted carcasses and gut piles is the most tractable problem, with non-toxic copper ammunition being a proven alternative. Intentional poisoning is illegal but continues where gamekeeping culture tolerates it. Each poisoned raptor experiences significant suffering before death, and the cumulative scale across affected populations is substantial. Both regulatory and voluntary action — by hunters, landowners, and pest control operators — can meaningfully reduce this welfare burden.