Widespread ingestion of lead pellets by wild chukars in Northwestern Utah
ABSTRACT The use of lead ammunition has generated much debate because lead is toxic and elevated lead exposure is documented in >130 wildlife species. We expanded on prior reports of ingested lead in chukars (Alectoris chukar) to assess lead exposure at greater spatial and temporal extents. Our s...
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Wiley
2015-03-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.527 |
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| author | Richard J. Bingham Randy T. Larsen John A. Bissonette Jeffery O. Hall |
| author_facet | Richard J. Bingham Randy T. Larsen John A. Bissonette Jeffery O. Hall |
| author_sort | Richard J. Bingham |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT The use of lead ammunition has generated much debate because lead is toxic and elevated lead exposure is documented in >130 wildlife species. We expanded on prior reports of ingested lead in chukars (Alectoris chukar) to assess lead exposure at greater spatial and temporal extents. Our specific objectives concerning lead exposure in chukars from northwestern Utah, USA (approx. 49,000 km2) were to: 1) approximate a threshold for background versus elevated lead exposure; 2) investigate spatial and temporal variation of lead exposure; and 3) assess the utility of combining frequencies of ingested gizzard lead and elevated liver lead to estimate lead ingestion rates. We obtained hunter and volunteer‐harvested chukars collected during July–January, 2003–2011. Using liver lead residues from wild chukars, we estimated a threshold of 1 μg/g wet weight to separate background versus elevated lead exposure for our data set. For wild chukars, we documented elevated lead exposure (ingested gizzard lead or elevated liver lead) in 5 counties and 8 mountain ranges in years 2003–2007. We estimated lead ingestion rates of 9.3% (43 of 461) using ingested gizzard lead and 8.3% (10 of 121) employing elevated liver lead (≥1 μg/g wet weight), respectively. These frequencies were respectively 1.5% and 2.5% less than the combined frequency of ingested gizzard lead and elevated liver lead (10.8%; 52 of 481). Our observed rates of elevated lead exposure were among the highest in the literature for upland birds, suggesting that chukars in northwestern Utah risk lead poisoning. These results corroborate previous findings identifying elevated lead exposure as an issue affecting non waterfowl avian species. © 2015 The Wildlife Society. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3befbb4129aa45b588e3384fe1ab285c |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2328-5540 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2015-03-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Wildlife Society Bulletin |
| spelling | doaj-art-3befbb4129aa45b588e3384fe1ab285c2025-08-20T02:36:31ZengWileyWildlife Society Bulletin2328-55402015-03-013919410210.1002/wsb.527Widespread ingestion of lead pellets by wild chukars in Northwestern UtahRichard J. Bingham0Randy T. Larsen1John A. Bissonette2Jeffery O. Hall3Department of Wildland ResourcesUtah State UniversityLoganUT84322‐5290USAPlant and Wildlife Sciences DepartmentBrigham Young University407 WIDBProvoUT84602USAUnited States Geological Survey, Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Wildland ResourcesUtah State University5230 Old Main HillLoganUT84322USADepartment of Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences and the Utah Veterinary Diagnostic LabUtah State University950 E 1400 NNorth LoganUT84341USAABSTRACT The use of lead ammunition has generated much debate because lead is toxic and elevated lead exposure is documented in >130 wildlife species. We expanded on prior reports of ingested lead in chukars (Alectoris chukar) to assess lead exposure at greater spatial and temporal extents. Our specific objectives concerning lead exposure in chukars from northwestern Utah, USA (approx. 49,000 km2) were to: 1) approximate a threshold for background versus elevated lead exposure; 2) investigate spatial and temporal variation of lead exposure; and 3) assess the utility of combining frequencies of ingested gizzard lead and elevated liver lead to estimate lead ingestion rates. We obtained hunter and volunteer‐harvested chukars collected during July–January, 2003–2011. Using liver lead residues from wild chukars, we estimated a threshold of 1 μg/g wet weight to separate background versus elevated lead exposure for our data set. For wild chukars, we documented elevated lead exposure (ingested gizzard lead or elevated liver lead) in 5 counties and 8 mountain ranges in years 2003–2007. We estimated lead ingestion rates of 9.3% (43 of 461) using ingested gizzard lead and 8.3% (10 of 121) employing elevated liver lead (≥1 μg/g wet weight), respectively. These frequencies were respectively 1.5% and 2.5% less than the combined frequency of ingested gizzard lead and elevated liver lead (10.8%; 52 of 481). Our observed rates of elevated lead exposure were among the highest in the literature for upland birds, suggesting that chukars in northwestern Utah risk lead poisoning. These results corroborate previous findings identifying elevated lead exposure as an issue affecting non waterfowl avian species. © 2015 The Wildlife Society.https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.527Alectoris chukarbackgroundchukarelevatedexposurepoisoning |
| spellingShingle | Richard J. Bingham Randy T. Larsen John A. Bissonette Jeffery O. Hall Widespread ingestion of lead pellets by wild chukars in Northwestern Utah Wildlife Society Bulletin Alectoris chukar background chukar elevated exposure poisoning |
| title | Widespread ingestion of lead pellets by wild chukars in Northwestern Utah |
| title_full | Widespread ingestion of lead pellets by wild chukars in Northwestern Utah |
| title_fullStr | Widespread ingestion of lead pellets by wild chukars in Northwestern Utah |
| title_full_unstemmed | Widespread ingestion of lead pellets by wild chukars in Northwestern Utah |
| title_short | Widespread ingestion of lead pellets by wild chukars in Northwestern Utah |
| title_sort | widespread ingestion of lead pellets by wild chukars in northwestern utah |
| topic | Alectoris chukar background chukar elevated exposure poisoning |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.527 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT richardjbingham widespreadingestionofleadpelletsbywildchukarsinnorthwesternutah AT randytlarsen widespreadingestionofleadpelletsbywildchukarsinnorthwesternutah AT johnabissonette widespreadingestionofleadpelletsbywildchukarsinnorthwesternutah AT jefferyohall widespreadingestionofleadpelletsbywildchukarsinnorthwesternutah |