A male bald eagle was recently admitted to the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife wildlife hospital in Sanibel after being found downed 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 for several days.
CROW officials said 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. Now, 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 — CROW said that the treatment plan now primarily focuses on keeping the wing stabilized and performing physical therapy. This will ensure that his wing will retain the necessary range of motion during these next few weeks here at CROW.
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