Two Eagles Brought to WSU Die
of Lead Poisoning
Jan 28, 2008
Second eagle dies at WSU Veterinary Hospital
High lead levels found in both birds
PULLMAN, Wash. — The second of two very weak and starving bald eagles found
near Colville, Wash., died Friday night at Washington State University’s
College of Veterinary Medicine.
The body of the 5 year-old mature eagle “Carpenter” was found in his cage by
crews Saturday morning. “This is a very difficult time for everyone here who
works to save raptors,” said Dr. Nickol Finch, who heads up the raptor
rehabilitation program at WSU. “We have students, and volunteers who spend
countless hours fighting to save these great animals, but given these
eagles’ poor condition the odds of survival were not good from the
beginning.”
Both eagles suffered from severe dehydration, hypothermia, and had lost a
lot of weight before each was found in the wild unable to fly. Last week,
the 3-year old juvenile eagle nicknamed “Jordan,” died after caregivers say
she appeared to be resting well overnight. During treatment at WSU, both
eagles remained very lethargic and were not eating well. Veterinary
care providers said each passed quietly in its enclosure.
Test results returned Monday show the two suffered from high levels of lead.
Jordan’s tests show lead levels at 1.7 milligrams per liter, while
Carpenter’s test results show a level of 3.3 mg/l. Considering that the
normal blood lead level is below 0.20mg/l the blood lead levels for these
two eagles are extremely high,” said Dr. Erik Stauber, a professor in
wildlife and exotic animals at WSU. Adding, “It makes a chance for recovery
more or less unachievable, particularly in combination with the poor
physical state in which these eagles were presented.”
A necropsy, (a post-mortem examination of an animal like an autopsy in
humans) is being performed at the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic
Laboratory to help provide more clues into the eagles’ deaths. Those results
are expected back Wednesday.
Cases of sick eagles brought to WSU’s veterinary college increase somewhat
between November and March. A high percentage suffers from lead poisoning;
the source of which is remains unclear to many wildlife experts. WSU once
successfully treated and released a golden eagle with a blood level of
2.4mg/l, but this is considered to be a rare exception rather than the rule.
“The loss of any eagle brought to us with lead poisoning is a tragedy, not
only because of the great effort that is put into trying to save it, but
more so because we know that lead in the environment, and presumably the
eagle’s food source, will continue to cause the death of many more eagles
until the source can be eliminated.” says Dr. Stauber. His team will
continue to gather samples in hopes of finding this mysterious cause.
“Despite our best care, many of these animals won’t make it. That’s one of
the toughest things with this job,” said Dr. Finch, “but we need to get past
this and prepare for the next one.”
The raptor care team may not have long to wait. A bald eagle from the
Seattle area may be arriving soon, while the team has been notified a golden
eagle could be coming from Oregon.
Jan 25, 2008
Young Eagle “Jordan” Dies
PULLMAN, Wash.— One of two very weak and starving bald eagles found near
Colville, Wash., has died at Washington State University’s College of
Veterinary Medicine.
The 3-year old juvenile eagle nicknamed “Jordan,” died this morning after
crews say she appeared to be resting well overnight. The eagle suffered
severe dehydration, hypothermia, and had lost a large percentage of its
normal body weight before it was found in the wild unable to fly.
During treatment at WSU, the eagle remained very lethargic and was not
eating well. Veterinary care providers said Jordan passed quietly in
its enclosure.
“The odds of survival were not good from the very beginning,” said Dr.
Nickol Finch, who heads up the raptor rehabilitation service at WSU.
The team is now focused on saving the second eagle brought in this week; a
5-year-old mature male bald eagle found just south of Colville along Highway
395. The WSU crew has named the older eagle “Carpenter.” The names
come from authors of widely used veterinary avian textbooks.
Cases of sick eagles brought to WSU’s veterinary college increase somewhat
between November and March. A high percentage suffer from lead poisoning;
the source of which is still unclear to many wildlife experts.
Early indications are that Jordan suffered from elevated lead levels, but a
definitive test is pending. A necropsy, (a post-mortem examination of
an animal like an autopsy in humans) is being performed at the Washington
Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory to help determine a cause of death.
“Losing patients despite our best efforts and unmatched animal medical care
is one of the hardest things there is in this job,” said Dr. Finch, “but the
fact remains that many of these majestic animals can’t be saved by the time
they get to definitive care.”
In recent months, WSU successfully rehabilitated and released a pair of
eagles from the same region. “River,” a female adult eagle was
released near Kettle Falls, Wash.,
in July 2006, after more than nine months of rehabilitation. “Kim,” a
second eagle, was released outside Newport, Wash., in November 2007.
Jan 24, 2008:
Two very weak and starving bald eagles found near Colville, Wash., are now
recovering at Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
The cases are similar in that each bird was discovered alongside roadways by
drivers who saw that the eagles were weak and unable to fly.
One is a 3-year-old young female bald eagle found near Waits Lake. WSU’s
recovery team has nicknamed the eagle “Jordan.”
The other, is a 5-year-old mature male bald eagle found just south of
Colville along Highway 395. The WSU crew has named the older eagle
“Carpenter.” The names came from authors of widely used veterinary avian
textbooks.
After examination by local veterinarians, the birds were brought to Pullman
by an agent with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“Odds [of survival] aren’t so good yet,” said Dr. Nickol Finch, who heads up
the raptor rehabilitation service at WSU. “We’re just going to have to keep
a close watch, and keep our fingers crossed.”
Cases of sick eagles brought to WSU’s veterinary college seem to increase
significantly between November and March. A high percentage suffers from
lead poisoning, a factor that still baffles many wildlife experts.
“That’s the great puzzle,” said Dr. Erik Stauber, who has helped injured
eagles recover for decades at WSU. “We don’t see any direct evidence with
the eagles as to where the lead comes from, but we’ll see very high lead
levels in more than 70 percent of the golden eagles we treat here at WSU.”
There are early indications at least one of the eagles suffers from elevated
lead levels, but a definitive test won’t be returned for at least another
week.
The good news is x-rays show no broken bones. “We’ll make sure they’re well
fed, and watch for any illness that can develop,” said Dr. Finch.
WSU has successfully rehabilitated a pair of eagles from the same region.
River,
a female adult eagle was released near Kettle Falls, Wash., in July 2006,
after more than nine months of rehabilitation.
Kim a second eagle, was released outside Newport, Wash., in November
2007.
Darin Watkins
College of Veterinary Medicine
Washington State University
(509) 335-4456
Photos courtesy of Henry Moore Jr.
WSU College of Veterinary Medicine
Last Edited: Jan 29, 2008 2:26 PM
