07/18/2024
Be mindful of using rodenticide. Can have devastating consequences.
On Friday, July 12, we admitted a Bald Eagle who had been found grounded, debilitated, and incredibly weak. Thankfully, someone saw him on the ground in Fox Point and knew he needed immediate help if he had any chance at survival. His eyes were closed, he was drifting in and out of consciousness, and he’d been vomiting.
Once at the WHS Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, we began immediate supportive care and diagnostic tests. After ruling out several other potential causes, we strongly suspect he’s experiencing secondary toxicity from rodenticide – meaning he likely ate prey that had consumed rat poison. We are seeing some small improvements each day – he’s now able to lift his head and has started to support himself – but his prognosis is still heavily guarded. He has a long way to go before he’s healthy enough to return to the skies, and we’ll do everything in our power to give him the best chance of getting there. ❤️🩹
We have to take a moment to point out the devastating consequences rodenticide can have far beyond its intended purpose. There are other much more humane, safe ways of evicting unwanted visitors from your property without putting others at risk, and we’d love to help you find solutions. We don’t know if it’s too late for this incredible bird, but we’re giving him everything we’ve got and are so grateful to our community which makes this work possible.
For those wondering how they can help, donations to our wildlife hospital are currently being matched this month. You can make a gift of any size using the Donate button here or online at https://wihumane.me/WildlifeSummerMatch to have it automatically doubled by a friend of WHS. Those dollars go directly toward our work treating nearly 5,000 wild animals every year and we can’t thank you enough.
We also want to give a major shout out to Schlitz Audubon Nature Center for capturing this eagle and the Fox Point Police for transporting him to our doors. We’ll be sure to share updates on this case as it develops, but he could use all the positivity he can get during these critical, initial weeks. Hang in there, buddy.
🦅❤️
UPDATE 7/22/24: We’re heartbroken to share that after 8 days of intensive care and a few promising glimmers of hope, our Bald Eagle patient passed away on Saturday morning. 💔 We did everything we could – and *he* gave everything he could – but in the end, the poison had done too much internal damage and he passed away quietly in his enclosure. We urge you to please keep his story in mind whenever you hear of someone considering poison as a form of pest control. We know unwanted visitors can be frustrating, but our team is well-versed in advising humane, effective solutions that won’t cause undo suffering or harm to the culprits, nor the many other species who may feed on them after they perish.
We take every loss to heart, but this one is especially painful for the team members who watched him inch closer to recovery against all odds; we knew it was a long shot, but we rooted for him at every turn. We take solace in knowing he was not left to suffer alone for days on end, but instead passed away in relative comfort, cared for by people who’ve dedicated their lives to protecting wildlife.
To the countless supporters who have been in his corner since his arrival, we can’t thank you enough. Your words of encouragement and uplifting messages mean so much to us, and the dollars donated toward this work ensure we’re able to be there for the dozens of wild animals who have already arrived since his passing. We are eternally grateful to serve such a compassionate community – thank you. ❤️🩹
