Lead Poisoning Kills Flamingos in Greek Lagoon

Dozens of flamingos were found dead because of lead poisoning from illegal pellets in a small lagoon in Agios Mamas, in northern Greece.

According to animal activist group Action for Wildlife, more than 50 of the majestic pink birds have been reported to have died in the recent weeks because of lead poisoning at the Greek lagoon located at the Halkidiki peninsula, about 360 miles (580 kilometers) from the capital of Athens.

In an interview with AFP, Stavros Kalpakis, head of the Action for Wildlife, shares his experiences - finding a dead flamingo after walking through the waters near the so-called "Flamingo Street" in Agios Mamas. Furthermore, they reported that among the flamingos they recovered for possible medical attention, the group could save none of them.

Lead Pellets from Bullets by Hunters

Sofia Prousali, one of the volunteer veterinarians with the wildlife group, tests conducted on the dead flamingos, confirm lead poisoning as the cause of death. She adds that they also conducted tests for other possible causes, such as the avian flu and the West Nile virus, and found no traces of the pathogens on the dead birds.

In the same AFP news release, a volunteer of 20 years, Ellie Bridgeman, explains that the flamingos routinely eat small pebbles to help in digestion. Some bird species actually eat stones, maintaining them in a muscular part called the gizzard and using them to break down hard food materials. However, in the case of the Greek flamingos, they mistake the bullet shrapnels for stones and eat them, causing lead poisoning.

"All the birds that had these symptoms were found to have pellets in their stomachs," Prousali added, noting that there might be other dead flamingos in the lush vegetation surrounding the lagoon.

The northern Greek area of Agios Mamas is included in the Natura 2000 program - the European Commission's network of breeding and resting sites for threatened species across the continent. This area alone is home to more about 60 different bird species.

This episode of lead poisoning among the flamingo population hurts the thriving ecosystem, especially since the Agios Mamas lagoon has been a promising location to boost the birds' numbers. In the summer of 2020, local authorities recorded the first-ever instance of flamingos breeding in Greece. Local volunteers were able to report about 180 nests in the season.

Using Illegal Hunting Ammunition

The main source of lead poisoning is none other than the bullets used by local hunters. The Greek government has already prohibited the use of lead shots, especially in wetlands, since 2013. The European Union has also made a similar declaration last November 2020, banning all ammunitions containing lead pellets in all wetlands as a part of its new framework for the regulation of chemicals.

Wildlife groups, however, say that local hunters still use these pellets that contain lead. A report from the European Chemicals Agency, an organization within the EU, that around 100,000 tons of lead is dispersed across the European Union and is mainly composed of three activities: 79 percent from sports shooting, 14 percent from hunting, and seven percent from fishing.