On the night of March 6, an Augusta County animal control officer found a young Bald Eagle injured on a road in Middle River, VA. He was able to capture the eagle and called the Wildlife Center’s after-hours phone line for assistance. Dr. Sarah, one of the Center’s veterinary interns, met the animal control officer at the Wildlife Center later that night to admit the eagle.
News
March 15, 2021
During the past three weeks, Bald Eagle 21-0161 has remained indoors for daily treatments with the veterinary staff. Chelation therapy was successful in removing the lead from the eagle’s system, and its right wing fracture is showing signs of healing. However, the wound on its toe has been difficult to treat. After showing no improvement during an initial course of antibiotics, the Center’s veterinary staff surgically implanted several antibiotic beads inside the wound, and started the eagle on a second course of two different antibiotics.
March 12, 2021
During the past month, Bald Eagle #20-3608 has made enormous improvement. The bird’s daily exercise goal was increased to 20+ passes a day, and he was moved to A3, the Center’s largest flight pen which is specifically designed for eagles. Rehabilitation staff say that this bird flies very well, is able to glide, and eats well, though occasionally still has an intermittent left wing droop.
The team will continue to closely monitor the bird's daily exercise, but at this point, anticipate that the bird will be able to be returned to the wild soon.
March 9, 2021
Bald Eagle ND's foot wound has been challenging for the veterinary team to manage. On March 3, Dr. Karra took the eagle back to surgery to carefully debride the injured area. Dr. Karra was able to remove a lot of affected tissue, then flushed the wound clean and placed three antibiotic beads in the wound before suturing it closed. Radiographs taken on March 4 to check for bone infection indicated a mild amount of osteolysis [affected bone tissue], though the veterinary team is not concerned at this point.
March 3, 2021
Yesterday was Black Bear yearling #21-0153's two-week post-admission checkup. After sedating him, the veterinarians performed a physical exam and noted that the bear's skin condition has improved slightly, though the yearling's skin is still quite crusty. Additionally, the veterinarians collected skin samples to check for mites, and none were found. This is good news, as it signifies that the oral anti-mite medication given to the bear on February 18 has been working. Stool samples were also collected which were parasite-free as well.