Injured bald eagle to undergo skin graft surgery

[AlisonL]

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

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

[Donna]

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

[MAK]

  They should nickname him Baldy!   

[Dot_Forrester]

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

Dot in PA

[Donna]

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

[Dot_Forrester]

good one, Donna!

Dot in PA

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

[Kris G.]

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

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

Thanks for posting, Alison..he looks great!

[AlisonL]

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.



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

[AlisonL]

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.





Photos: Fontenelle Forest Raptor Recovery.

Short video of the release:

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

From the Journal Star:

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

[Donna]

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

[AlisonL]

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

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

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

[MAK]

 

[Kris G.]

Awesome!  A true success story!