by Calah Beckwith
Lead Wildlife Keeper
A bald eagle is a rare and special patient at the VINS Wild Bird Hospital. Recently, we had the privilege of providing care for an injured juvenile eagle. He was found on March 21 in Danby, VT by game warden Justin Stedman. He was sitting on the side of a road, seeming weak and stunned.
When he arrived at VINS, we were incredibly concerned about his condition. He was so weak that he was unable to hold his head up. He was emaciated, exhibited signs of head trauma, and we suspected that he had been hit by a car. We started him immediately on fluid therapy – our treatment for emaciation and dehydration – as well as medications for head trauma, pain, and weakness.
When we placed him in his enclosure, he was unable to stand on his own, and we had give him a soft towel “donut” to sit in. His breathing was shallow, and he was so weak that I feared he wouldn’t make it through the night.
When I came in the next morning, I checked on him first thing. Amazingly enough, he was standing up and quite alert! As the days went by, he became stronger – and I mean STRONG. By his second day in our care, it took three people to handle him; we are able to handle most raptors with two people. Bald eagles are incredibly powerful birds, and in a rehab setting, we develop an intense respect for their strength. It is impressive.
Needless to say, this eagle progressed quickly. He was eating massive amounts of food – rabbit, chicken, rat – in no time. He put on weight, stretched his wings in our flight cage, and then it was time to bid him a fond farewell.
So on a chilly Tuesday morning, we said goodbye to this powerful, beautiful bird. I have no doubt he’ll succeed in the wild – he’s strong, and he’s a fighter.
Congratulations, VINS Wildlife Rehab Team!