The bald eagle recovery from near-extinction is one of conservation greatest successes, but ongoing welfare threats from lead poisoning and collisions persist.
Bald eagle welfare represents both a conservation triumph and an ongoing welfare concern. Lead poisoning causes slow, agonizing neurological deterioration in eagles that ingest gut piles from deer and other animals shot with lead ammunition. The transition to copper ammunition would nearly eliminate this welfare harm. Wind turbine collision deaths, while smaller in scale, cause traumatic injury. Maintaining the welfare gains of recovery requires addressing these specific, preventable threats.