Oklahoma bald eagle dies due to lead poisoning, rescue says
An Oklahoma wildlife sanctuary is mourning the loss of a bald eagle after rescuing the animal twice. “There’s been a lot of love,” said Annette King, founder of Wild Heart Ranch Wildlife Rescue. On New Year’s Day, Wild Heart Ranch in Claremore had to say goodbye to one of their bald eagles, Clay. The eagle was a two-time rescue, a fan favorite and is named after a local ranger. “We lost our ranger from Nowata just days before this eagle arrived,” King said. “This eagle actually lived behind Warden Brent Clay’s property. It was an eagle that Brent had been watching and told me about.” Clay was rescued in April after breaking a wing. He was released after two months of rehabilitation, but the eagle returned to the sanctuary last week. “While I had him on my table, he seemed very calm,” King said. “And I was like, ‘Oh my gosh. I know this bird. I don’t know who it is, but I know it.'” But this time, it didn’t look good. “When he showed up, he had obviously been in a fight with another eagle. He had punctures, infections all over. He had a foot that was badly infected and swollen,” King said. “The most dangerous one, even though the foot was bad, had 8.1 parts per million blood lead poisoning toxicity. It only takes 1.0 parts per million to kill a bald eagle.” The sanctuary administered medication for the high lead levels and tried to save Clay’s foot, but it didn’t stick. “We put him to rest and his journey is over,” King said. “The big picture here is that it’s not my only eagle. It’s the fact that I’ve been rehabbing bald eagles for 15 years, and at least half of them are lead positive.” Wildlife rescue pleads with Oklahoma hunters to stop using lead. “The message is for people to stop using lead in the wild. There are lead alternatives. They are a little more expensive, but worth it for anyone who loves bald eagles,” King said. “That is the symbol of our freedom, and they are not free to eat what they find in nature because we leave behind our garbage.”
An Oklahoma wildlife sanctuary is mourning the loss of a bald eagle after rescuing the animal twice.
“There’s been so much love,” said Annette King, founder of Wild Heart Ranch Wildlife Rescue.
On New Year’s Day, Wild Heart Ranch in Claremore had to say goodbye to one of their bald eagles, Clay. The eagle was a two-time rescue, a fan favorite and is named after a local ranger.
“We lost our ranger from Nowata just days before this eagle arrived,” King said. “This eagle actually lived behind Warden Brent Clay’s property. It was an eagle that Brent had been watching and told me about.”
Clay was rescued in April after breaking his wing. He was released after two months of rehabilitation, but the eagle returned to the sanctuary last week.
“While I had him on my table, he seemed very calm,” King said. “And I was like, ‘Oh my gosh. I know this bird. I don’t know who it is, but I know it.'”
But this time, it didn’t look good.
“When he showed up, he had obviously been in a fight with another eagle. He had punctures, infections all over. He had a foot that was badly infected and swollen,” King said. “The most dangerous one, even though the foot was bad, had 8.1 parts per million blood lead poisoning toxicity. It only takes 1.0 parts per million to kill a bald eagle.”
The sanctuary administered medication for the high lead levels and tried to save Clay’s foot, but it didn’t stick.
“We put him to rest and his journey is over,” King said. “The big picture here is that it’s not my only eagle. It’s the fact that I’ve been rehabbing bald eagles for 15 years, and at least half of them are lead positive.”
Wildlife rescue pleads with Oklahoma hunters to stop using lead.
“The message is for people to stop using lead in the wild. There are lead alternatives. They are a little more expensive, but worth it for anyone who loves bald eagles,” King said. “That is the symbol of our freedom, and they are not free to eat what they find in nature because we leave behind our garbage.”