To the Editor:

I read your piece regarding lead poisoning in eagles [“By allowing the eagle to soar, we’ll be saving wildlife as well as ourselves,” Altamont Enterprise editorial, Sept. 12, 2024]. You did an amazing job. You really did your homework on that.

I work as a volunteer at Friends of Feathered and Furry Wildlife in Lexington, New York. We get so many eagles and other raptors with lead poisoning, it is really nice to see someone have the courage to put that information out there. Thank you very much.

One thing I would like to add, regarding the ammunition, is that when steel was first introduced for waterfowl, it really sucked, but this copper ammunition for hunting now, it outperforms the lead bullets. The Military Times wrote, “Lead’s best day was their green bullets everyday.”

The copper ammo was first developed by Barnes to hunt big game in Africa because it penetrated more, worked better; it had nothing to do with concerns about lead. 

Too bad our wildlife gets caught up in political nonsense; it’s not their fault. Look at the condors — the biggest threat to their return to the wild is lead. They are constantly being trapped and chelated because of high lead levels.

There were only 22 wild condors left in the 1980s.  The 1000th bird in the program was fledged in Arizona. He just died this past March, lead poisoning, just shy of his fifth birthday, still a teenager. 

Over the years, I have talked to hunters and given out hundreds of dollars of ammo. One hunter once wrote me back after trying some of the bullets I gave him, “Michael, your bullets worked as well as my best handloads, but I would be reluctant to switch as, if there ever comes a ban on lead ammo, it would be fewer people to oppose it.” He sent me a photo of a target he shot.

So, Melissa, you did a super job, great idea with the eagle and the “save America’s icon” approach.

Michael DiBenedetto

FFF Wildlife

Lexington, New York