WILDLIFE CENTER OF VIRGINIA TO RELEASE BALD EAGLE ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 11

The Wildlife Center of Virginia, a leading teaching and research hospital for native wildlife, will release an adult Bald Eagle on Thursday, January 11 at 1:30 p.m. at the Dick Cross Wildlife Management Area near South Hill, Virginia

Participating in the release will be Ed Clark, President and co-founder of the Wildlife Center. Also expected to attend are representatives of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries [VDGIF], including Marc Puckett, a wildlife biologist with VDGIF who helped in the rescue of this eagle.

On December 5, 2006, a group of deer hunters driving near Dundas, VA saw an adult Bald Eagle, carrying prey, hit a power line and fall to the ground. The hunters, using only a pair of welding gloves, captured the eagle, placed it in a dog crate, and contacted VDGIF area Game Warden G. W. Zupan. Warden Zupan and Marc Puckett moved the eagle into a wooden crate used by VDGIF for transporting deer; Puckett then drove the eagle to the Wildlife Center's clinic in Waynesboro.

Wildlife Center staff found burn and skin wounds on the eagle's metacarpals [the "wrist"], consistent with contact with a live power-line. The wound was cleaned, and the eagle was re-hydrated and given anti-inflammatory drugs. The bird, a large adult male, has recovered well, and has demonstrated that he is able to fly in the Center's 100-foot flight pen.

"This eagle is a case study of what can be achieved through the cooperation of concerned citizens, state officials, and a non-profit organization," according to Clark.

Clark noted that speedy action probably helped save this eagle's live. "In animal medicine, as is true for humans, time is of the essence - quick medical intervention can make a huge difference," Clark said. "If this bird had spent much time on the ground - likely in some state of shock and unable to fly - its chances of survival would have decreased greatly. Our thanks to the hunters for their quick reaction and involvement, and for the timely help of the VDGIF staff."

It is estimated that the Bald Eagle population of North America numbered about half a million before European settlement. With the loss of habitat, shooting, and the effects of DDT and other pesticides, the U.S. eagle population plummeted.

In 1977, there were fewer than 50 bald eagle nests in Virginia. Today, the bald eagle population in Virginia is on the rebound. There are now more than 500 active bald eagle nests in the Commonwealth.

Every year, between 2,000 and 3,000 animals - ranging from Bald Eagles to chipmunks - are brought to the Wildlife Center for care. "The goal of the Center is to restore our patients to health and return as many as possible to the wild," Clark said. "At the Wildlife Center, we treat to release."

The eagle being released on January 11 is one of a record 29 Bald Eagles admitted to the Center during 2006.

The Wildlife Center of Virginia is an internationally acclaimed teaching and research hospital for wildlife and conservation medicine, celebrating 25 years of service during 2007. Since its founding in 1982, the nonprofit Center has cared for more than 47,000 wild animals, representing 200 species of native birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. The Center's public education programs share insights gained through the care of injured and orphaned wildlife, in hopes of reducing human damage to wildlife. The Center trains veterinary and conservation professionals from all over the world and is actively involved in comprehensive wildlife health studies and the surveillance of emerging diseases. Additional information about the Wildlife Center is available at www.wildlifecenter.org.

The Dick Cross Wildlife Management Area, operated by VDGIF, is located in Mecklenburg County, along the north side of the Roanoke River. The area's 1,400 acres include nearly 300 acres of broad flood plain, or bottomland, with numerous wetland impoundments, totaling about 165 acres, managed for waterfowl. A number of Bald Eagles winter in and around the Management Area. The Area is named for the late Dick Cross - former VDGIF Executive Director and wildlife biologist and a friend of the Wildlife Center. Additional information about the Management Area, including a map and directions, is available at http://www.dgif.state.va.us/wmas/detail.asp?pid=13.