“As well as analyzing the ducks shot in 2021-2022, we also looked at the five from 2001 to 2019 to see how things have changed in different parts of England over time. We looked at two comparable studies.
“In the North West and West Midlands, the likelihood of mallards, including lead shot, decreased significantly over time, while other regions did not see any significant changes.
“Use of non-lead shot types has changed over time, roughly consistent with increased use of steel shot and decreased use of bismuth shot, but illegal use of lead remains predominant.”
Strong is working with shooters to identify and remove barriers to phasing out lead. Barriers include cost, availability, concerns that lead-free shooting is less effective, and concerns about the loss of traditional practices.
wild animals
The ducks that died in the study were sourced from a company that sells edible game and were evaluated using stable isotope analysis to determine which were wild and which were raised in captivity. Confirmed.
Captive-raised ducks are more likely to come from hunting grounds where they are driven past gunner lines for sport purposes, while wild birds are often killed by professional wild duck shooters.
Of the samples collected, farmed ducks had a 75% chance of containing lead bullets, while wild ducks had a 48% chance of containing lead bullets. This suggests that lead bullet use is more frequent among driven game shooters than wild duck shooters.
Ammunition remains an important source of lead exposure for humans, wildlife, livestock, and companion animals.
every year Estimated 7,000 tons of lead is shot into animals or the wider environment across the UK.
harvested
Regulations vary by country in the UK, but current legislation includes bans on lead when shooting wild birds (ducks, geese, swans) in England and Wales and on wetlands in Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is.
The UK Government and competent governments will consider possible changes to the law in the coming months.
Co-author Dr Julia News of WWT said: “It’s a scandal that this illegal shooting has been going on for years. Lead has been contaminating our wildlife and communities for decades, but this year the government will turn things around. I got the opportunity.
“Voluntary efforts to phase out lead ammunition have failed. Policies have been taken to remove lead from gasoline, paint and pipes, and there will continue to be policies to remove lead from ammunition.” This fall is an opportunity for us, and now is the time to end the era of lead for good.”
Papers published in magazines environmental pollutiontitled “Spatial and temporal variation in the prevalence of illegal lead injection in farmed and wild mallards harvested in the UK.”
this author
Brendan Montagu is the editor ecologist online.
