He was among 11 bald eagles that arrived at the University of Minnesota's Predator Center last week. At least ten birds were poisoned with pentobarbital, possibly from scavenging the dead animals, officials said.Minneapolis police have taken in a sick bald eagle that was found lying in the snow at the University of Minnesota's Predator Center on Sunday.
When the eagle took off, it did not move very much, which is unusual behavior for a noble bird and a sign of poisoning with pentobarbital, which is used to kill animals.
At first, the problem seems familiar to the Raptor Center staff, who help care for thousands of birds each year, from eagles and hawks to owls and vultures. They have also seen some cases of pentobarbital poisoning before.
But usually a bird's cry is heard.
So the next day, Dec. 5, the situation became familiar when the center received a second call about a bald eagle in similar condition found in the same area of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota.
Raptor Center volunteers who went to rescue the second bald vulture found nine sick birds in the area, some with their beaks down in the snow.
"It was a concern for us, especially because there was a garbage dump nearby, which can often be a source of contamination for these birds," said Victoria Hall, the center's executive director.
On Dec. 6, state and federal wildlife officials found another sick bird and two dead vultures in Inver Grove Heights. At least 13 vultures have been poisoned and captured after they were suspected of eating animals left at a dump, officials said.
Eleven sick birds were taken to the raptor center for treatment last week, Hull said. Wildlife agencies are investigating the incident, The Star Tribune previously reported.
Under Minnesota law, animal carcasses must be disposed of by cremation, recycling, composting, "waste collection avoidance" or other methods approved by the state.
"We've certainly seen a lot of sick birds, but we've never seen them with pentobarbital before," Hall said.
The first call to the Raptor Center about a sick eagle came from the Inver Grove Heights Police Department.
Courtesy of the Raptor Center for two critically ill bald eagles taken in from the University of Minnesota's Raptor Center last week. At least ten vultures have been poisoned with pentobarbital, according to Minnesota officials.When the volunteer sent to rescue the second bird found nine sick vultures, other rescue and transport volunteers arrived on the scene. The eagles were kept in crates and cardboard boxes, wet and cold from the Minnesota snow.
Raptor Center staff began intensive care of the bird, taking blood samples for toxicology and lead testing. Eagles are given fluids and food in their beaks, the storage areas under their chins are removed if they contain toxins.
They were being tested for bird flu, which the center has seen in hundreds of birds since March. Of the more than 200 positive cases identified at the center this year, 47 were among bald eagles.
Of the 11 vultures that showed signs of pentobarbital poisoning, one contracted bird flu and died. But Hall said he was "hopeful" the remaining 10 would be spared. He said three of them must have gotten lead poisoning from the lead deer bullets they got.
"Like pentobarbital, it's completely man-made, which means we have an opportunity to influence and prevent it," he said.
The bald eagle, formerly on the National Endangered Species List, is protected by federal law. The incident in Hall, Minnesota is a prime example of how human activities can negatively impact the nation's birds and ecosystems as a whole.
"Every year we see hundreds of raptors poisoned by raptors that come to our center for treatment," he said. "Lead, rats, in this case pentobarbital, and these are all things that people can prevent in the future if we know."
The Raptor Center has launched a fundraiser as it continues to care for 10 bald eagles.
Last week, the eagles were unable to sit up on their own during treatment and care, so staff at the center used rolled towels to support their bodies.
But over the weekend, the birds "started to misbehave," Hall said. They sit alone, flap their wings, make noise and put their heads in their boxes, looking suspiciously at the work of the workers.
In short, they began to regain their "value," as Hal put it.
"It lifted everyone's spirits because we knew these birds were going in the right direction," he said.
Soon they will have room to spread their wings as they fly out of their box and onto the flight deck. Then the birds are moved to an open enclosure, where they fly and acclimatize again.
And after testing and approval, they return to nature.
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