Wild waterfowl including ducks and geese face welfare threats from habitat loss, lead ammunition poisoning, and hunting practices with significant individual welfare implications.
Wild waterfowl welfare encompasses a range of human-caused threats that affect individual animals as well as populations. Lead ammunition poisoning is among the most clearly preventable: non-toxic alternatives are available, effective, and increasingly mandated in many jurisdictions. The welfare harm of lead poisoning is prolonged and severe — affected birds experience neurological deterioration over days or weeks before dying. Hunting-related welfare concerns include wounded birds that escape but die later from injuries, and the stress of pursuit and habitat disturbance during breeding seasons. Addressing these welfare concerns requires continued transition to non-toxic ammunition, improved hunting ethics around wounding rates, and protection of wetland habitats essential for population health.