BBs, Pellets, Bullets Blamed for Most Wildlife Casualties

BB guns, pellet guns, shotguns and rifles cause most of the wounds that put wild animals in the North Orange County Regional Occupational Program rehabilitation center in Anaheim.

Program director Greg Hickman said birds and animals hit by cars are the second most common type of patient, followed by rodent poison placed in yards and fields.

Fourth on the list are natural causes, such as diseases or incidents in which birds fly into plate-glass windows or crash into trees while pursuing prey. Fifth are abandoned or orphaned baby animals.

While he had no exact figures, Hickman said the shooting of birds, especially with BBs and pellets, has at least doubled in the last few years. The most common victims are the large raptors, such as owls and hawks. He said he believes most shooters are young.

“It’s amazing how small a pellet can bring down a big hawk,” he said. “By contrast to the raptors, we hardly ever see a mammal with a gunshot wound, and the only reason I can think of is that most animals hunt at night, and the kids are at home.”