Injured bald eagle rescued from N.J. backyard after 3-day effort

[MAK]

Kudos to those involved in the care of this eagle. 4 surgeries-WOW! 

[Donna]

EAGLE UPDATE: Week 14
Setbacks. Our celebrity eagle's lead toxicity levels have risen again. Typically, lead poisoning comes from ingestion - that is, the animal eats something contaminated. It's not uncommon in eagles; they regularly feed on fish and carrion, both of which have high chances of carrying lead. However, our rehab eagle has not been eating contaminated food. We know that for sure. Yet, every couple of weeks, his lead levels spike.
Unlikely though it seems, the only explanation for this is that there are enough small fragments of lead from his gunshot wound to be leaching into his system. Many of these tiny fragments are embedded very close to, or even in the bone which shattered when the bird was shot. There are simply too many of these fragments to remove and all in an area which has already been traumatized by injury and multiple surgeries. We will try one more round of treatment for the lead poisoning, but if this continues to happen, we cannot repeat the lead treatment indefinitely - that would eventually overload the bird's renal system and lead to failure.
The injured leg is slow...really slow to heal. We had hoped that the removal of the last large lead pellet might relieve some pressure on the nerves, but we have not seen significant improvement. The bird still cannot use its leg well enough to hunt, or even really stand very well. It has been putting all of its weight on its one good leg for months, and now the good leg is being overused and beginning to develop sores and infection from overuse. We have the one good foot wrapped to keep it clean, but again, if the injured leg does not heal this will also eventually lead to failure.
We are continuing treatment for the time being, and we are trying to remain positive. However, these current setbacks do not leave us optimistic.

[MAK]

 

[AlisonL]

The Raptor Trust posted an update on Lily on July 1.

Bald Eagle Update: Six Months in...

People continue to check in with us about Lily, the Bald Eagle that was shot in Hunterdon County in Dec. Lily (who is actually a male Bald Eagle, approximately 3 years old) is still here in our care. His condition is largely unchanged.

His broken leg bone healed fairly quickly. However, the leg suffered severe nerve damage when the pellet he was shot with shattered his bone and broke into tiny lead fragments which lodged throughout the tissue and bone in his leg. We were able to remove some of the larger fragments, but the smaller ones remain in his leg.

Nerve damage can sometimes heal itself, but it can take a very long time. So we are doing everything we can to keep Lily comfortable to see if that will happen. We have seen very little change however, and that does not bode well. If that leg does not heal, Lily will not be able to be released back into the wild. And birds that cannot use both legs, especially heavy birds like eagle, are not good candidates for life in captivity either. They need nearly full use of both legs, not just for hunting, but for preening, cleaning, scratching and ridding themselves of parasite, regulating their body temperatures and other important reasons.

Lily also struggled with lead poisoning from the tiny fragments of the pellet which were gradually leaching lead into his bloodstream. The chemical process known as chelation to remove lead is very effective, but it only removes lead from the bloodstream, and Lily's issue was that the lead kept leaching from the pellet fragments back into his bloodstream after chelation. This seems to be improving, however, and our theory is that his body has slowly sealed off these fragments by calcifying around them.

So, the bottom line is we STILL don't know what Lily's final outcome will be. He's not well enough to return to the wild, but he's not rapidly deteriorating either. He's stable, but still not in great shape. We continue to wait and see.

We appreciate all of the interest, support and patience our followers and supporters have shown as we have managed Lily's care. Fingers crossed.

Fun Lily Friday fact: Lily's favorite food is branzini, or European seabass. He has very expensive taste! If you would like to help support Lily's care, please visit www.TheRaptorTrust.org to donate.

[AlisonL]

Incredible news about bald eagle Lily

September 23, 2016



AMAZING NEWS!

After more than 9 months in our care, Bald Eagle "Lily" has been released!

This Bald Eagle, found in Hunterdon County, NJ after being shot, has been released back into the wild at the Walkill River National Wildlife Refuge in Sussex, NJ. The bird suffered lead poisoning, broken bones and significant tissue and nerve damage as a result of the shooting. After 9 months of rehabilitation and multiple surgeries, the eagle has been released along the Appalachian Mountain flyway, just in time for fall migration season.

“Lily� was first noticed hanging around a Pittstown, NJ neighborhood by residents in Dec, 2015. When the bird did not move from the tree it was in for several days, residents became concerned and wildlife rehabilitation experts from The Raptor Trust were called in to investigate. With the help of staff members from the Avian Wildlife Center in Wantage, NJ, the exhausted and injured bird was captured and brought to The Raptor Trust for care.

Named by a young girl in the Pittstown area where the bird was found, “Lily� is actually a 4 year old male Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Multiple rounds of lead poisoning treatment – or “chelation� – were performed, and several surgeries to treat the damaged tissue and broken bones were also performed. “Lily� has been recuperating in a large flight cage at The Raptor Trust and has now been evaluated and cleared for take-off.

Raptor Trust director, Chris Soucy commented, “This bird has some challenges to face when it returns to the wild, for sure. While its leg has healed fairly well, there is some lingering nerve damage. However, it is an experienced adult bird. It has survived in the wild for several years already, it flies really well and it knows what it has to do to hunt, scavenge and live in the wild. Both of his other options – a life in captivity or euthanasia – are really lousy options. He’s ready to go and now and we have an obligation to give him his chance.�

 "It took a team effort to get this bird back on his feet," said Avian Wildlife Center Director, Giselle Smisko, who helped capture the eagle. "Returning him to the wild is the result of everybody's (including the eagle's) determination to succeed. We chose the protected habitat of the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge to give him a good start of what we hope will be a long life. It was a beautiful sight to see him spread his wings and fly free again."

Bald Eagles are protected by both state and federal laws, including the Migratory Bird treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. It is an Endangered Species in NJ and the shooting of such a bird is punishable both by significant fines and imprisonment. The US Fish and Wildlife service has been conducting an investigation into “Lily’s� shooting, but as of this time, no arrests have been made. A reward of $8,000 is offered for any information leading to a conviction in “Lily’s� shooting. Anyone with information regarding this crime can contact a local US Fish and Wildlife Service office.



There is a short video of Lily's release at the link:

https://www.facebook.com/theraptortrust/posts/1104048366351156

[Kris G.]

Wonderful news!  Thanks for posting, Alison!   

[Donna]

This is the best news!! I'm so happy for Lily. Thanks so much Alison. My PC is being bad, so I can't get on as much. I give it a Xanax and it lets me in for a few minutes!! 

[Carol P.]

Very good news! 

[Dot_Forrester]

  I'm so happy to see this. Here's wishing Lily a long life of soaring the skies!

Dot in PA

[patsy6]

Awesome!!!!   

[MAK]

 

[AlisonL]

An article on Lily's release from NJ.com, with more photos of Lily.





Photos: The Raptor Trust.

http://www.nj.com/sussex-county/index.ssf/2016/09/watch_shot_bald_eagle_lily_returns_to_wild.html

I hope that Lily is enjoying his well deserved freedom. I am very grateful to The Raptor Trust for the excellent care they gave him, and for giving him this chance.

[Carol P.]

Fly free and be safe Lily!