Doctors at The Animal Hospital in Slingerlands say a bald eagle shot in October in Columbia County is making progress, but are cautious to talk about a full recovery.
The juvenile bald eagle was shot Oct. 12 at Nutten Hook State Unique Area in Stuyvesant. The bird was taken that day to the facility in Slingerlands, where veterinarian Ed Becker and his staff began their work.
“When he came in, he was in critical condition,” Becker explained about the status of the eagle. “He was in shock. He had lost a lot of blood. He had been shot the equivalent of nine times.”
In fact, Becker said that if a hiker had not been in the area at the time, heard the gunshots, and found the bird, the eagle may not have made it.
Becker, who owns the hospital along with his daughter Lexi, has been a consulting veterinarian to the State Department of Environmental Conservation for years, and said he has treated hundreds of eagles in his career.
This case, however, required quick action, as Becker said the eagle couldn’t stand, and had bullets everywhere, including in his brain.
The staff at the hospital began their work immediately, drawing blood from the eagle, and conducting a number of tests to assess the health of the animal. X-rays revealed a fractured wing, along with a number of other injuries, but Becker never thought about the possibility of the bird not surviving.
“It’s never an issue where I allow that to even get into my head,” said Becker. “It doesn’t occur to me. It’s only, I think, 24, 36 and 48 hours out that I’m saying, ‘Ok, he’s still alive. That’s awesome.’”
The eagle, which is protected from hunters under state and federal law, is improving with each day. Doctors were able to control an infection, and the bird, who has taken on the name “Spirit,” is now off of antibiotics. The eagle has even started to eat on his own, which Becker is thrilled to see.
“We don’t have to manhandle him to feed him every day,” Becker said. “Catching him up is hard on him, because he has a broken wing.”
The story has gained national attention, and Becker said they’ve received calls from as far away as California regarding the condition of the eagle. In the past, the hospital hasn’t used online resources to give status updates for injured animals, but in this case, followers of the hospital on Facebook are commenting daily on the eagle’s recovery.
“There have been eagles in the past that have generated this type of interest, but we didn’t have Facebook. That’s the difference. It was mostly phone calls and word-of-mouth networking,” said Becker.
In late November, Becker and his staff will reevaluate the eagle. The hospital is equipped with a large enclosed area where the bird will be taken in upcoming weeks and allowed to fly. Becker said that there’s also a possibility that staff will try and have the bird fly around the front of the property, attached to a string, before allowing the eagle to be released on its own.
“I’ve seen many birds with these types of fractures fly away,” said Becker. “Does that mean he’s going to? Anything could go wrong. But, I’ve seen many birds with similar fractures fly away six to eight weeks later.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has offered a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the shooting. Anyone with information should contact Jason Bak with the service’s Albany office at 518-431-4341 or call the DEC ‘s Poaching Hotline at 1-800-847-7332.
