11/11/2021
Of all the creatures treated at Gage Animal Hospital, the Bald Eagle is doubtless the most wondrous. When Dennis from Northeast Kansas Wildlife Rescue brought this Bald Eagle to GAH in early October urgent care was not needed. The eagle had been struck by a vehicle along a busy highway and reported to Northeast Kansas Wildlife Rescue several days earlier. A rescuer from Northeast Kansas Wildlife specializing in raptor rehabilitation promptly retrieved the injured bird.
For the first week after rescue, the eagle was kept by the rehabilitator in a small pen which prevented flight. The close confines of this pen afforded any wing or foot damage an opportunity to heal. The raptor ate well, but after eating, returned to a corner of the pen, with head bowed.
The next week, the eagle was moved into a large aviary, but continued to stand in a corner, with bowed head. Unable to perch, and leaving the corner only to eat, the rehabilitator contacted Dennis for transport to GAH for examination and prognosis.
The eagle was anesthetized and thoroughly examined. Blind in his left eye, the injury was an old one, well healed. The raptor, in his prime, had compensated for his old eye injury well, for he was healthy and of good flesh. His difficulties arose from his recent highway injuries. The left wing was radiographed. Fortunately, the wing was not broken, only severely bruised. The foot, likewise, was only bruised. With patience, time, and excellent care, his chances of surviving and thriving were good. He was returned to his rescuer for further rehabilitation.
By the end of the second week, the eagle was sufficiently healed to begin perching at ten feet. The decision was made to move him to a flight pen. During the move, the eagle, by now well enough to be angry at his situation, was able to crush the thumb of the rehabilitator through her falconry gloves. Of course, the rehabilitator, being an excellent raptor rehabilitator, and one who truly loves raptors, was delighted by this event. A cause for hope was becoming more apparent every day.
By week three, the raptor began perching at fifteen feet and flying in his flight pen. Using jesses and a tether rope, the, by this time, strong and extremely aggressive bird, was tested for ability to fly. He passed his flight test beautifully! He was returned to his flight pen and prepared for release.
Careful consideration was given in the selection of his place of release. A location was eventually chosen near a private pond which does not freeze in winter, with plentiful fish, surrounded by trees and a large acreage of land with no human interaction. He was quietly released on Saturday, November 7th. While the raptor will have an abundance of hunting grounds (with one blind eye, this raptor is still able to track injured prey), his release was a soft one. This means he will be able to return for food, to his place of release, as he chooses. For now, he is returning. Also, he will be able to return to his territory of origin, if he freely chooses, since he was released less than twenty miles from that area. Eagles can easily fly one hundred miles a day, though, so, take a walk in the country, look up, and you may well see him, or one of his kin, soaring and gliding freely, the essence of freedom.