Peregrine falcons face lead poisoning from ingested prey containing lead ammunition fragments, creating chronic welfare harm in affected individuals.
Lead poisoning in peregrines causes insidious neurological damage that impairs hunting ability and may lead to starvation before outright toxicosis. Sublethal exposure accumulates over multiple exposures, affecting behaviour, reproduction and survival probability. The welfare harm is diffuse but real - affected birds experience progressive neurological compromise that reduces quality of life before death. The solution is straightforward - mandatory adoption of non-lead ammunition eliminates the primary exposure route and would dramatically reduce raptor lead poisoning within a generation.