Fellow Mortals--Compassion Changes Everything

It’s nearing summer’s end, and late-nesting songbirds have fledglings on the ground; squirrels and rabbits are raising their last litters before winter. New patients continue to arrive daily when unintended conflicts occur.

While the earth teems with new life in the trees and on the ground, humans are preparing for fall -- cutting, burning, landscaping and mowing -- which is how many wild ones are accidentally injured and need to come into care.

Sadly, as so many wild ones are just beginning their lives, we’re witness to many others who are struggling to survive, arriving at the hospital emaciated, dehydrated, lethargic; some lack any awareness of their surroundings, some seem to be blind, others stumble and are unable to stand or fly — all symptoms of what has tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV) in the past.

WNV is now documented in hundreds of species of birds and mammals.  Since its discovery in crows in the late 1990’s, WNV affects more and more species every year, and every year different species are hit harder than others.

At Fellow Mortals, it was barred owls that were first affected, then crows.  This year has been particularly hard on eagles, red-tailed hawks, Cooper's hawks, crows, and blue jays.

There is no treatment for WNV. Supportive care is all we can provide, trying to keep our patients comfortable and nourished while they weather the virus.  Fluids, tube-feeding nutrition, and anti-inflammatories are standard, with supplemental oxygen providing some relief for the most critical patients -- but survival ultimately comes down to the individual.  Where one red-tailed hawk will survive, another will not, despite receiving exactly the same care. 

Wildlife rehabilitation is hard on our hearts when we know that no matter what we do, it may ultimately not be enough – which is why when a bird suddenly turns a corner and ‘wakes up’ it is amazing and wonderful to witness.

The bald eagle pictured is one such success story. The pictures tell her story and give us Reason to Hope.

Links:

• West Nile virus
• West Nile Facts

Three days ago we received a call from our local state wildlife biologist about an injured young eagle.

The nest site where the eaglet was found was the first to be identified in the county when the eagles started returning to Wisconsin, and the adult birds had been successfully raising young there since 2010.

Just that morning, both parents were on the nest and the weeks-old eaglet's head could be seen peering out the top.

That evening, the property owners didn't see the parents, didn't see a baby in the nest, and went out on horseback to investigate -- only to find a single eaglet sprawled on its back on the ground, blood on the body and one wing obviously broken and lying at the wrong angle.

As soon as our warden called, we started to prepare for the injured eaglet -- getting the intensive care unit warmed up and oxygen flowing, which helps with stress and trauma.

When the baby arrived, it was cold, lethargic, and we weren't sure it would make it through the night, not knowing if the puncture wounds might have reached the heart, or liver.  We gently cleaned the puncture wounds on the breast and gave medicine for pain, and then set the eaglet up in the intensive care unit overnight.

The little one weighed 2.5 kg, a little over 5 pounds, and by its feathering we judged the age to be about 4 weeks.  At this age, the babies are totally helpless and their wings -- while large -- are limp and heavy with the blood feathers that will develop into flight feathers in the coming weeks.

I went out to the hospital early the next morning to check on the eaglet and was elated to find him alive and standing!  

The injuries the bird suffered were traumatic, but otherwise the bird was a healthy weight, so we took x-rays and identified five different fracture sites!  Both upper wing bones (the humerus) were broken, as well as both the lower wing bones (radius and ulna) in one wing, and the ulna in the other. 

We called our veterinary orthopedic surgeon, who advised the bird would likely not fly again due to one fracture that is very close to the shoulder joint.  Unless we could find a permanent placement before surgical repair, the bird would have to be euthanized.

I called a good friend who had recently lost her adult eagle and told her the eaglet's story.  She immediately agreed to take the bird for continued care with the plan to provide it with a permanent home as a foster and education bird at her facility.  

As soon as I got off the phone with Jeannie, I called our veterinarian, who came out on a Saturday afternoon to perform a long and complictated surgical repair of multiple bones in both wings.

Thanks to the property owners who monitored the nest daily, the eaglet was found soon after it was injured; thanks to our wildlife biologist, we were called and were able to help when we were needed; thanks to our veterinarian's generous gift of his time and skills, a difficult operation was a success; thanks to another rehabilitator, the eaglet has a future -- if not in the wild, then as an important ambassador for his species.

Thanks to your recurring donations, we are always here to provide premier care for the wild ones when they need us.