ST. PAUL — The University of Minnesota Raptor Center has euthanized a second eagle this hunting season because of lead poisoning.

The Raptor Center said it sees lead poisoning cases annually beginning with deer hunting season and lead bullets are the main cause. The birds scavenge on an animal that has been shot and wind up eating lead too.

The latest eagle to be euthanized came from a rehab center in Duluth. Five more eagles were admitted to the Raptor Center this season in which lead was a secondary problem.

The center’s executive director, Julia Ponder, said they are not anti-hunting, but notes that copper ammunition is an alternative to lead.