Hunters in the UK are leaving behind a devastating trail of lead pellets that waterbirds like swans and ducks are mistaking for seeds. Eating these lead shotgun pellets results in lead poisoning and death.

This toxic metal is poisoning up to 100,000 waterbirds every winter. And some of these birds are ending up on people's dinner tables as part of Sunday roasts.

Europe has already banned outdoor shooters from using lead ammunition in wetlands. The UK Government is due to review legislation right now, so let’s ramp up the pressure on them to properly protect birds and people from lead poisoning. 

Sign the petition: tell the UK Government to ban lead ammunition.

The billions of individual lead pellets strewn across wetlands are also contaminating the soil, plants, rivers and creeks. Scavenging animals that eat lead poisoned birds are then also at risk. And up and up the food chain it goes. A study looking at ducks that people could buy to eat found many riddled with toxic lead pellets. Some birds were found with hundreds of lead pellets in their stomachs.

Voluntary efforts to phase out the use of lead ammunition in the UK have failed. So it’s time for the government to properly regulate the shooting industry and save the UK’s waterbirds like swans and ducks from painful deaths.

Tell the UK Government to protect wetlands and wildlife from lead poisoning.

Public pressure has already resulted in Europe cracking down on lead ammunition, now let’s make sure the UK follows suit. The Ekō community has put pressure on governments to protect animals before, like when we successfully came together to make sure California banned octopus farming.