Call Congress today: Protect eagles and wildlife from lead poisoning
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Call Congress today: Protect eagles and wildlife from lead poisoning
Dear Friend, The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote early this week on a reckless, dangerous bill — H.R. 556. The measure would bar the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and other federal land management agencies from taking action to limit lead poisoning of wildlife caused by hunters dispersing lead ammunition on hundreds of millions of acres of our public lands. We urgently need your help to defeat H.R. 556 on the House floor. This is a priority bill for the NRA and other extreme hunting groups that disregard overwhelming evidence that spent lead ammunition is poisoning and killing 20 million wild animals a year across American lands and putting 60 million people who consume wild game meat at risk of cognitive impairment. Just two weeks ago, newspapers across Virginia reported alarming news from the Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro: bald eagles are being admitted in record numbers for lead poisoning. In 2025 alone, 76 bald eagles were admitted to the center — and 53 of them (70%) tested positive for lead poisoning. Eagles deaths are happening like this all over the country — from Alaska to Florida. Wildlife experts say the primary source is lead ammunition. Lead’s Uniquely Dangerous Properties as Hunting Ammo When a hunter shoots a deer or other game animal with a lead bullet, the projectile fragments into dozens of tiny pieces, spreading through the meat as far as 18 inches from the wound. Those fragments are then eaten by scavenging wildlife like eagles feeding on gut piles or carcasses — and sometimes by hunting families eating the harvested meat. The science on this issue is overwhelming. More than 500 scientific studies have documented the risk from lead ammunition to over 130 species of wildlife — and to people. Lead is a potent neurotoxin, and there is no safe level of exposure for humans. Yet H.R. 556 would tie the hands of federal wildlife managers, preventing them from taking reasonable steps to reduce this avoidable source of poisoning on public lands. This is especially troubling because we already know that transitioning away from lead ammunition works. In 1991, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service banned lead ammunition for waterfowl hunting nationwide. That policy has become one of the great conservation success stories, sparing 1.4 to 3.9 million ducks and geese from poisoning every year, while waterfowl hunting continues to thrive. More recently, the state of California successfully transitioned to non-lead ammunition for all hunting, with no negative effect on participation. Today, affordable non-lead ammunition made from copper, bismuth, tungsten, and other materials is widely available in stores and online. Despite the known risks, lead ammunition remains the largest source of unregulated lead intentionally released into the environment in the United States, with tens of thousands of tons dispersed across public lands each year. Congress should not categorically impede commonsense efforts to reduce documented and irrefutable poisoning of wildlife and people.Please take action today! Send a message to your U.S. Representative through our Action Alert urging them to vote NO on H.R. 556. Then call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-225-3121. Ask to be connected to your U.S. Representative’s office and leave this message: “I am a constituent and I urge you to vote NO on H.R. 556. Lead ammunition is toxic and deadly for wildlife and people.” This bill could move quickly, so your voice right now can make the difference. America’s wildlife — from bald eagles to countless other species — should not suffer from a preventable toxic threat when non-toxic alternatives already exist. Sincerely, President Animal Wellness Action |
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Rat-ical Idea: City Council Mulls Ban on Rodent Glue Traps
A bill proposed by Councilmember Harvey Epstein would outlaw the sale of sticky boards that doom furry critters to a slow, painful death.
by Benjy Sachs March 16, 2026, 5:00 a.m.
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After years of hard-fought battle, the city may finally be entering an era of rat harmony — or closer to it.
Newly elected Councilmember Harvey Epstein (D-Manhattan) recently introduced a bill to outlaw the sale of glue traps aimed at mice and rats in the city. The traps are small boards covered with an adhesive that ensnares the critters.
Animal-rights advocates argue that the traps are inhumane, as they cause a slow death for trapped rodents, and can be unsafe for pets and children.
“The way glue traps work is harmful not just to the animals but to family pets and society at large,” Epstein said.
The lawmaker, whose district spans the East Village and the Lower East Side, introduced a similar bill during his seven years as a state assemblymember in Albany.
The call for mercy toward rats comes at a time of heightened contempt for the city’s most reviled rodents.
Vigilantes and even dogs hunt for rats by night. Mayor Eric Adams famously declared a “war on rats,” then appointed a “rat czar” to combat the scourge. He instituted a policy of filling rat burrows with carbon monoxide. As a mayoral candidate, Curtis Sliwa called for feral “cat colonies” to catch them.
Adams’ efforts made something of a dent on the city’s rat population, data shows.
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The containerization of trash and implementation of a composting program contributed to a 20% decline in rat sightings from 2024 to 2025, according to the Department of Sanitation and data on 311 calls.
Rat Race to the Bottom
New Yorkers have coexisted with rats for centuries, but the relationship has always been fraught. In the fight, rats have numbers on their side; according to the book “Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City’s Most Unwanted Inhabitants,” one pair of the four-legged creatures has the potential to create “15,000 descendants in a year.”
Yet, Epstein argues that the city should implement less violent methods to keep the rats at bay, such as containerization and sealing holes in apartments.
“I think what we’ll do is reduce the population,” he said. “We’ll coexist with them like we coexist with other wildlife.”
Another sponsor of the bill, Councilmember Farah Louis (D-Brooklyn), said she is more concerned with glue traps being risks to humans and pets.
“Sometimes children or pets get caught in the trap,” she said. “That’s the reason why I supported the bill.”
Animal rights groups such as PETA hailed the bill’s introduction, while a spokesperson for Voters for Animal Rights called glue traps cruel and ineffective.
“It is slowly growing as a movement,” spokesperson Laura Tartaglia said, noting a trend of jurisdictions, such as Ulster County, forbidding the sale of the controversial adhesive boards or considering doing so. “I think people see that this is just unethical.”
Even professional rodent killers see the trap as a sticky wicket. Gene Miller, owner of Broadway Pest Services in Midtown agreed that using them is cruel.
“Once a mouse is caught on a glue board, they basically die of starvation,” Miller said. “I’m the owner of this company and I don’t agree. I think it’s bad.”
Miller also doesn’t find the traps very effective.
“If we put out hundreds of traps,” the exterminator said, “we would only catch a few [rodents].”
Miller still sells glue boards, though. He said his customers like to see them because they give the appearance of a no-holds-barred approach. So every pest control service uses them, creating a rat race to the bottom.
“If other companies are going to use glue boards and I’m not, then I have to explain to my clients why.”
Exposing the Big Game 