Rfalconcam Forum

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - This Friday the bald eagle who had a mysterious burn mark on top of his head will be receiving a skin graft to replace the damaged skin
The healthy feathered skin will be taken from his inner leg and attached to the top of his head. This is essential because without without feathers on his head he could not survive in the wild.


The bird will be relocated to the zoo and the veterinarians will care for him while he undergoes surgery.

http://media.graytvinc.com/images/810*455/bald-bald-eagle.jpg (http://media.graytvinc.com/images/810*455/bald-bald-eagle.jpg) Click for pic

Ouchy!  :(

Poor guy. :eagle: Hope the feather graft is successful, allowing him to survive in the wild. Wonder how this odd injury occurred.

Dot in PA

The plastic surgeon, Dr. Stice, determined that his injury was caused by an electrical burn of some kind, which not only destroyed the skin and tissue on the top of his head, but also two layers of bone. This poor eagle has been through so much.

He is now out of surgery. This small update was posted two hours ago:

OMAHA, Neb. —

A bald eagle that was found injured on Memorial Day underwent surgery Friday.

The eagle, injured in June, was rescued by Fontenelle Forest's Raptor Recovery Center.

The animal is recovering from surgery at the Henry Doorly Zoo.

Doctors said the animal suffered an electrical burn on the top of its head. Surgeons and veterinarians removed the charred bone and completed a skin graft.

"So, Dr. Shrader took feathers and skin from the eagle's groin and fashioned it in the shape of the wound on his head, and we sewed it to the top of his head," Dr. Coleen Stice said.

http://www.ketv.com/article/bald-eagle-burned-recovering-from-skin-graft-surgery/11549206 (http://www.ketv.com/article/bald-eagle-burned-recovering-from-skin-graft-surgery/11549206)

There are also updates on the Fontenelle Forest Raptor Recovery site, with question and answer videos with Dr. Stice. I can see the videos, but for some reason the sound is distorted and unintelligible. Not sure why.

https://www.facebook.com/fontenelleforest/ (https://www.facebook.com/fontenelleforest/)

I hope everything goes well for the eagle's recovery. Just glad that people have been willing to help him.

Thanks, Alison, for the additional info.  Best wishes to this eagle - it has to be really painful.

Dot in PA

It's amazing that they could do that for the eagle. I hope it all works out.  :bow:

Injured eagle's surgery at Henry Doorly Zoo 'went very smoothly,' doctor says

A more complete update on the eagle from omaha.com. It includes a video in which Dr. Stice provides information on the surgery. Not only does she do remarkable work; she also donated her services to help this eagle.

(https://picload.org/image/rwdwrigi/eagle-aug-4-1a.jpg)

(https://picload.org/image/rwdwrigw/eagle-aug-4-3a.jpg)

http://www.omaha.com/news/metro/injured-eagle-s-surgery-at-henry-doorly-zoo-went-very/article_403fd3cc-8e80-5236-b790-8d5514289511.html (http://www.omaha.com/news/metro/injured-eagle-s-surgery-at-henry-doorly-zoo-went-very/article_403fd3cc-8e80-5236-b790-8d5514289511.html)

Here's yet another person, Dr. Stice, who deserves a special award for her caring and skill. :flowers: Hope the eagle makes it. That's two wonderful stories in one day!

Dot in PA

Update on the eagle from the Fontenelle Forest Raptor Recovery site, posted today:

When the Raptor Recovery Program at Fontenelle Forest got the bird they were at a loss for answers. Luckily plastic surgeon Coleen Stice knew what to do.

“Surprisingly bird physiology turns out to be a lot like mammalian physiology so I feel pretty comfortable doing a full skin graft on this bone. This is exactly what I would do if it was a human,” said Stice.

Stice, along with Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium veterinarian Trenton Shrader, took the eagle into surgery.

“What is unique about this eagle procedure is that it is in a unique location being on top of the head and a unique species,” said Shrader.

During surgery the doctors sanded off the surface of exposed bone and put in a skin graft taken from the bird's inner thigh.

“The skin just stuck immediately,” said Stice.

Then the doctors put gauze and stapled it in place and put a cover dressing on it hoping the skin graft doesn't move.

“Now we just keep our fingers crossed that he doesn't tear it loose,” said Stice.

And that’s key because if the skin graft moves the blood vessels would tear off, so they are keeping the eagle in a secluded place, “Human actively is very disruptive and can be quite an anxiety-inducing experience for him so we set up a facility so he is not troubled by people coming in and out. We'll have cameras set up for people to monitor him 24 hours a day,” said Shrader.

When the eagle recovers he won’t be bald anymore; he'll have a nice new hairdo.

“They won't be white and this is a bald eagle, so if the feathers grow back it will be brown, he'll look like he has a toupee,” said Stice.

The next 10-14 days are critical to the recovery of the eagle because that's how long it takes for the blood to go into the skin graft.

If the graft doesn't move, doctors said the hope is to have the eagle be a free bird again in a month to 6-weeks.

https://www.facebook.com/fontenelleforest/posts/1612579542108629 (https://www.facebook.com/fontenelleforest/posts/1612579542108629)

Found a really promising update today on the bald eagle who had surgery:

Injured bald eagle treated at Henry Doorly Zoo healing well, will not need more surgeries

Omaha, NE -- The injured bald eagle who had a skin graft surgery at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is healing well and will not need additional surgeries, the zoo said Tuesday.

The eagle, called "Eagle 2017-172" was found near Syracuse, Nebraska, and had surgery on Aug. 4.

The bald eagle was re-evaluated Monday by Dr. Coleen Stice, an Omaha plastic surgeon helping treat the eagle, and Dr. Trenton Shrader, Zoo veterinarian.

The animal's care team says the graft looks excellent at this time with 90 percent successful attachment. The treatment plan is to allow the remaining ten percent to heal on its own without any future surgeries.

"We are happy so many people have taken interest in this eagle's recovery," said Fontenelle Forest Raptor Recovery Director Janet Stander. "Anytime we can pull together the expertise and resources to tackle a truly unique case like this, it makes the eventual release that much more meaningful to us at Fontenelle Forest Raptor Recovery. This eagle still has healing to do before he can be released but he has truly gone from a hopeless case to a success story."

The bald eagle will be kept at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium's Hospital for two more weeks to be monitored and continue antibiotic treatment.

Following the 14 days, the intent is to transfer Eagle 2017172 to Fontenelle Forest Raptor Recovery for eventual release.

http://www.weny.com/story/36150451/injured-bald-eagle-treated-at-henry-doorly-zoo-healing-well-will-not-need-more-surgeries (http://www.weny.com/story/36150451/injured-bald-eagle-treated-at-henry-doorly-zoo-healing-well-will-not-need-more-surgeries)

Excellent news!  Thanks!

 :bow: :clap:

Good news!

http://www.omaha.com/living/zoo/injured-eagle-that-underwent-skin-graft-has-become-drastically-stronger/article_dbe9d879-c5b0-531a-a028-6a0caa99f409.html (http://www.omaha.com/living/zoo/injured-eagle-that-underwent-skin-graft-has-become-drastically-stronger/article_dbe9d879-c5b0-531a-a028-6a0caa99f409.html)

 :clap: yes, good news. It would be so interesting to follow this eagle, assuming he is released, to see if having dark feathers on top of his head instead of white would cause a problem finding a mate.

Dot in PA

Thanks, Kris! That is great news.

The eagle looks a lot better, but more importantly, he looks as if he is feeling much better. What a brave eagle he is.

Photos: Fontenelle Forest Raptor Recovery.

(https://picload.org/image/rwpplpcl/eagle-ffrr-aug-29-10a.jpg)

(https://picload.org/image/rwpplpci/eagle-ffrr-recovery-aug-29-9a.jpg)

Today Fontenelle Forest Raptor Recovery posted a short video showing the eagle's return to their facility.

https://www.facebook.com/fontenelleforest/videos/1637585619608021/ (https://www.facebook.com/fontenelleforest/videos/1637585619608021/)

Looking good too!! Thanks Alison, pretty cool what they can do!  :wub:

 goodnews: They should nickname him Baldy!   :thankyou:

 :thumbsup: He looks great, and the patch on top of his head is much smaller than I expected.

Dot in PA

They don't call them "BALD" Eagles for nut N!!  :devil:

:lol: good one, Donna!

Dot in PA

Thanks for posting, Alison..he looks great!

The eagle, now named Bolt, was released back to the wild on September 18. After four months in rehab, he looked more than ready to leave.

(https://picload.org/image/dgacwccw/bald-eagle-bolt-5a.jpg)

Photo: Fontenelle Forest Raptor Recovery.

A bald eagle, who just a few months ago was unable to eat, is now back to his old self.

On Monday the bird was released back into the wild.

“He's extremely feisty. The people at the zoo who had to work with him every day were afraid of him. We are kind of the same way,” Betsy Finch, rehabilitation manager said.

Chip Davis, founder and creator of Mannheim Steamroller, had the honor of releasing the bird.

For the past few months the eagle was recovering at the Fontenelle Forest's Raptor Recovery Center.

He was discovered Memorial Day weekend with an extremely serious head injury.

“He had this humongous black scab on the top of his head,” Finch said.

Doctors later determined it was actually bone. The injury appeared to be caused by some kind of electric shock.

“We really don't know,” Finch said. “He might have just grazed a power line or something to have cut down to the bone.”

In order to get him back into the wild he went through an intense rehabilitation process. That included a skin graft by a plastic surgeon.

“They took it from the inside of his leg and sewed it onto the top of his head,” Finch said. “And after about two weeks they determined that it took about 90 percent.”

That left this already unique bird with an even more unusual look.

“He's going to have dark feathers growing on the top of his head, because the insides of the legs are not white,” Finch said.

However, the bird, aptly nicknamed "Bolt," didn't seem to care about his new ‘do. He was just ready to finally hit the skies.

Officials say the bird only lives about 10 miles away from the recovery center and they expect him to be home soon.

http://www.ketv.com/article/injured-bald-eagle-released-back-into-the-wild/12270748 (http://www.ketv.com/article/injured-bald-eagle-released-back-into-the-wild/12270748)

Fontenelle Forest Raptor Recovery has more information on Bolt's release. They did a wonderful job of caring for him, along with Dr. Coleen Stice, Dr. Trenton Shrader, the staff at the Henry Doorly Zoo and everyone else who made it possible for him to be free again.

(https://picload.org/image/dgacwcir/bald-eagle-bolt-6a.jpg)

(https://picload.org/image/dgacwcci/bald-eagle-bolt-4a.jpg)

Photos: Fontenelle Forest Raptor Recovery.

Short video of the release:

https://www.facebook.com/fontenelleforest/videos/vb.113350098698255/1653852187981364/?type=3&theater (https://www.facebook.com/fontenelleforest/videos/vb.113350098698255/1653852187981364/?type=3&theater)

Photos from the eagle's long journey back to freedom.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1634453349921248.1073741840.113350098698255&type=3 (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1634453349921248.1073741840.113350098698255&type=3)

From the Journal Star:

http://journalstar.com/news/local/photos-bald-eagle-release/collection_b84f001a-e463-512c-a6c1-627e655cebe3.html#4 (http://journalstar.com/news/local/photos-bald-eagle-release/collection_b84f001a-e463-512c-a6c1-627e655cebe3.html#4)

Bless them for helping that poor Eagle and many Blessings on his release!! Fly free and be free!

Another video of Bolt's release; it was great to see him fly so strongly into his future.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/video/injured-bald-eagle-released-back-to-the-wild/vi-AAsdLAz?ocid=sf (http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/video/injured-bald-eagle-released-back-to-the-wild/vi-AAsdLAz?ocid=sf)

The Henry Doorly Zoo also has several posts about the release, dated September 18.

https://www.facebook.com/OmahaZoo/ (https://www.facebook.com/OmahaZoo/)

 :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

Awesome!  A true success story!