Mercury and Wildlife
Mercury runs many processes in our lives - from automatically switching off an iron to keeping a vaccine fresh for use. But there is a dark side to this metal. It is toxic for people and wildlife. It endangers infants in the womb and chicks in their eggs.
How do people and animals get mercury inside?
Mercury goes into the air and water from sources such as coal-fired power plants and trash incinerators. Fish absorb that mercury. Any animal that eats fish, or other animals further up the food chain, then absorb mercury into their systems. This is called bioaccumulation.
Small mammals such as river otter and mink are more sensitive to mercury than larger mammals. They suffer from involuntary muscle action, movement problems, impaired vision and hearing, reduce reproductive success, impaired growth and death. Larger mammals such as the Florida panther suffer from damaged nervous systems and reproductive health. Visit our new adoption center and symbolically adopt a Florida Panther today.
Birds such as the bald eagle suffer from weight loss, weak wings and legs leading to difficulty flying, walking and perching. It also affects them when they go to lay their eggs. The egg shells are thinner, they tend to lay their eggs outside of their nests and they lay fewer eggs. Chicks suffer from impaired hearing.
Step 2 - Learn more about bioaccumulation
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