2 Alberta eagles found with lead poisoning

Alberta wildlife biologists are rehabilitating two eagles suffering from lead poisoning.

The Alberta Institute for WIldlife Conservation took in a bald eagle on Monday and a golden eagle last month that were gravely ill. Both suffered from lead poisoning, which is likely caused by eating lead fragments in shot birds.

• Hear the interview with the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation. Click on the "Listen" link above.

"It's sad because it's a 100 per cent preventable," spokeswoman Barbara Kowalzik said. "I think it's a matter of phasing out the lead ammunition. There are much better alternatives nowadays that are less hazardous and less toxic to wildlife in general out there. And they are affordable and accessible."

The institute is hoping to revive the eagles and send them back into the wild.