Red kites have made a remarkable recovery since reintroduction but illegal poisoning and lead ingestion from shot carcasses remain significant ongoing threats to individual welfare and population stability.
Lead poisoning causes a prolonged neurological decline in affected red kites including tremors, loss of coordination, inability to fly, and eventual death through starvation or organ failure. Illegal poisoning causes acute suffering through contact with banned compounds including carbofuran and alpha-chloralose. Each poisoning event causes significant individual suffering in an intelligent, long-lived bird that may have bred for many years.