A male bald eagle was recently admitted to the wildlife hospital on Sanibel at CROW — Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife, Inc. — after being found downed and unable to fly in Cape Coral.
One of CROW's volunteers responded to the alarm call and quickly transported the eagle to the facility for treatment.
Exams revealed that the eagle had a fractured ulna, lead toxicity, and some minor abrasions on his feet.
Treatment has been ongoing on each of the conditions for the past few days.
"The coming weeks will be critical in determining whether this eagle will be able to regain full function of the wing, and we are cautiously optimistic as we continue treatment," said Dr. Jessica Comolli, Board Certified Specialist in Zoological Medicine and Research & Medical Director at CROW.
Dr. Comolli said that the lead toxicity is resolving with chelation treatment. Chelation is the use of a chelator —such as a synthetic chemical compound — to bind with a metal (such as lead or iron) in the body to form a chelate so that the metal loses its chemical effect (such as toxicity or physiological activity).
The abrasions are also showing improvement, she said. The main concern is the eagle’s broken wing.
Since the fracture had already formed a callus — the bony healing tissue which forms around the ends of broken bone — Comolli said that the treatment plan now primarily focuses on keeping the wing stabilized and performing physical therapy.
The doctor said this will ensure that the raptor's wing will retain the necessary range of motion during these next few weeks at CROW.
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