Sad Case of Bald Eagle Caught in Leg Hold Trap

Bald eagles are so incredible to see let alone work with. We are proud to have a very good release rate with our patients including Bald eagles, but there are times when it is not to be.

No matter how many years I have worked with wildlife it is something you really never get used to. After forty plus years euthanizing a patient is still hard even when we know it is the best thing for the patient. People assume we can euthanize a patient with little conscience or feeling. Some people do perhaps but it is not the case at REGI. I tell my interns if you reach that point where you don't feel anymore you need to consider another field.

On Saturday night of the Memorial Day weekend I received a call about a Bald Eagle down on the ground near Tigerton, WI. The bird was located over a half hour drive from the REGI facility. It was getting dark fast and I knew it would be dead dark by the time we arrived in Tigerton. My husband and I mobilized quickly and were on the road within minutes after the call. The situation was the eagle was found by group of friends camping therefore the actual site was fairly remote. We traveled down narrow roads and finally through farm fields etc before we reached the bird.

I am very grateful to the group of people that found this bird. We don't usually go out after dark to capture Bald Eagles, but their description of the situation was compelling. That, and they were going to stay with the bird until we got there so it did not wander off and become hidden in the forest.

We arrived to find the people doing exactly as they said. The adult male eagle was slumped against a woodpile. I was able to approach him quickly. He didn't fight the capture. The photos show the process of approaching the bird and then gathering him up for the trip back to REGI.


When I saw the right leg I was sickened. The leg had obviously been caught in a leg hold trap put out to trap mammalian predators. There are "proper" ways to set traps that all but eliminate bald eagles and other non-target animals from becoming accidentally trapped and then there are the "improper" methods.

On getting back to REGI and examining the eagle we found the injury was at least several weeks old. The eagle weighed only five pounds. That means it was at least weeks trying to survive with this horrific injury. It would have been impossible for the bird to have gotten himself out of the trap. Someone had to have let him out. They would have had to know the leg was badly crushed at the joint and the other was dislocated and yet rather than finding help for this magnificent adult eagle they simply "let him go". He was released to starve. I cannot even imagine what they were thinking except perhaps that they would be in trouble for trapping a bald eagle.

The end result was the eagle had to be euthanized. The right leg was necrotic and there was no way to repair it. The other leg was dislocate likely from the eagle pulling to try to free himself from the offending trap.

Some stories don't end well. The case has been reported as it has to be to USFWS.

My thanks to the people that found the bird and got him help. At least he was warm and no longer in pain when the end came. Sometimes that is all we can do.


Best,
Marge Gibson © 2009

Article on Gulliver the Goose from Caledonia Argus, Caledonia,MN

The article below is printed by permission of the Caledonia Argus. It appeared in that paper on Feb. 11, 2009. We are delighted to report that Gulliver is doing well and has found love in another Canada Goose in rehabiliation at REGI. Our thanks to Charlie Warner, Editor of the Argus, Craig Moorhead and the fine people that cared so much for this goose and found a way to help him. Marge Gibson


Brownsville's 'Gulliver the Goose' rehabbing nicely in Antigo, Wis. By Craig Moorhead
Special for the Caledonia Argus Caledonia, MN


There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot.
- Aldo Leopold
A wild Canadian goose with an injured wing first caught the attention
of Brownsville residents a couple of months ago. The bird could be
seen in the Mississippi River near the shoreline, towards the
northern end of town.
Lavonne Jahn was among the first to spot the flightless bird. She
contacted neighbors and friends about the goose and called the
Minnesota DNR to see if anything could be done. "They told me they
could come over and shoot it," she said. Lavonne wasn't too happy
with that.
Winter arrived, and the stranded bird could be seen swimming in an
ever-shrinking pool of water. The ice was closing in. Brownsville residents started trying to get food to the bird. They
took corn, bread, and even muffins and tossed them out for the goose,
which was near the foot of a steep embankment. As the weather
worsened, more and more people took notice of the plight of the goose. Lana Twite, owner of The Copper Penny restaurant, says that customers
started talking about the Brownsville goose almost every day.
Everyone seemed to have an opinion. Some thought the bird should be
rescued, while others thought that nature should be allowed to take
its course. As one resident put it, "eagles need to eat too." Brownsville Postmaster Barb Keehn said that people were showing up to
drop off their mail, pick up stamps, and see if anyone had news about
the goose. The Brownsville goose had become the talk of the town. Amiie Gabrilska of the Coulee Region Humane Society said that several
people contacted her agency about the big bird. Only those with
wildlife rehabilitation permits and federal migratory bird permits
are allowed to take charge of a live wild goose. Gabrilska says that
her agency had people with the permits, but a problem remained. It was a big problem. The treacherous ice conditions made catching
the bird next to impossible. As resident Laurie Arzaga said, "We were
trying to figure out how to help it, rescue it, but we could see that
the ice was too dangerous."
Arzaga talked the situation over with her friend Sara Lubinski.
Lubinski, a botanist and landscape painter who works part-time for
the U. S. Geological Survey, began contacting people she knew, seeing
if they knew of anyone who could help.
Enter Shawn Giblin and Eric Cummings, Wisconsin DNR employees who
work out of the USGS field station, La Crosse. Giblin and Cummings
were set to do water quality sampling with their airboat at Lawrence
Lake and Stoddard.
Lubinski said that the day before the attempted rescue (Jan. 11), the
goose could be seen sitting in what was left of its pool of open
water, now only about three feet wide.
On Jan. 12 the open water was gone. Lubinski said she couldn't see
the bird. She had a sinking feeling as she headed for the boat
landing. Giblin and Cummings were set to meet Gabrilska at Lawrence
Lake that morning, and she dreaded telling them that the goose was
gone. When she reached the landing Jahn showed up, telling everyone
that the bird was on the bank. The thermometer stood at two above as
the rescuers departed.
"It wasn't a terribly scientific process," Giblin said. "I just threw
my muskie net in and Amiie brought a dog carrier." Shawn drove the
airboat while Eric grasped the net. The goose was herded out onto the
ice. On the third pass, Eric netted the bird.
Giblin: "It went surprisingly smooth. He seemed like he was on his
last legs. We chased him about three or four minutes before we caught
him."
Gabrilska returned to Onalaska with the goose, which was originally
thought to be a female. Dr. Laura Johnson, a wild bird specialist
from Prairie Du Chien, Wis. drove to Onalaska to examine the bird.
She requested radiographs, which another local veterinarian donated.
Tests indicated that the goose could be saved, and might even regain
its ability to fly.
Coulee Region Humane Society started looking for a licensed wildlife
rehabilitator to take the bird (now thought to be a gander). Raptor
Education Group Inc. of Antigo, Wis. offered to take the goose and
nurse it back to health. All that was needed was a volunteer to
transport the bird.
Lubinski volunteered. On Feb. 5 she loaded up the goose, nicknamed
Gulliver, and headed for Antigo. Gulliver, she said, "made not a
single peep for three and a half hours."
She described the facility as "amazing. Gulliver was placed in a
large, clean pen with another goose and they seemed just fine
together. Once winter thaws, Gulliver can spend time in a large,
protected pond, complete with a few other geese and waterfowl to hang
out with."
(For those wishing to contact or contribute to REGI, a non-profit,
donation-funded entity, their e-mail is RaptorEducationGroup.org) If Gulliver's flying abilities return, he will travel back to the
Mississippi flyway for eventual release.
Why do all this for a goose? Lubinski replied, "I'd been watching
this goose for weeks. I really hadn't thought about doing anything
about it until Laurie called. One day just north of town I saw two
coyotes crossing where the ice was a little firmer. Another day an
eagle swooped right over the top of the goose and I thought 'this
goose is still there.' This is an amazing goose, surviving all those
predators and the ice, not being able to fly or get to food." An amazing goose? Is that all? Lubinski thinks for a moment, then
begins to quote Leopold from memory: "And when the dawn-wind stirs
through ancient cottonwoods, and the gray light steals down from the
hills over the old river sliding softly past its wide brown
sandbars--- what if there be no more goose music?"

She STANDS and Barred Owl Hit by Car

Good Morning Everyone,

In the wee light of early morning I slipped down into our critical care area. There a wonderful sight awaited me. Our cygnet Trumpeter Swan (#21) was standing! This is a huge milestone for us and the swan of course. This is the youngster than was admitted with lead poisoning last week. When admitted she weighed less than ten pounds or half her normal weight. She was so weak she was unable to stand and most of the time was unable to hold her head up. She was unable to eat on her own. While we are still guardeded about her survival we are now guardedly optimistic! What a little fighter this youngster is! She is eating on her own now! As of Saturday March 6, she weighted 12.5 lbs. We are anxious to weigh her today and see what the scale says. If this little one has her way she will be out of here and back to the wild sooner than we ever dreamed just a short week ago. Lead poisoning is a very difficult toxin and does terrible things to the organs including the birds heart, kidneys and liver. She will have many hurdles to overcome in the future but the first step is to stay alive long enough for the lead chelation medication (Ca EDTA) to take affect and to be able to digest food. That first step has been taken and we are on to the next. This little lady has a strong constitution and we will do our very best to make sure she can go home again.

The Barred Owl on the left was admitted on Saturday March 6, 2009. A family found the bird at the side of a road and brought him to REGI. The owl is an adult male Barred Owl. The species while common to our region is one of our most beautiful owls. Barred Owls are early nesters. It is very possible this adult male has a family or at least a mate sitting on eggs. We hope he can get back to his family soon. Many owls are hit by cars. This happens for a few reasons. First owls use their hearing more than their vision when hunting. If they are hot on the auditory trail of a mouse, which is their most common food, they are so focused they are not aware of cars. Since owls are active at night and our vision is low at that time, people do not see them until it is too late and they are on a collision path. This owl was rescued and was brought to REGI. The gentleman brought his young son along to admit the bird. It is so important to include youngsters in efforts to help animals. We at REGI believe children learn what they live. A parents actions become a part of who they will be in the future. We applaud this family for taking time to notice the bird and get him the help he needed.

Another week has begun.

Marge Gibson

( Photos 1. Cygnet swan #21 standing! , 2. Barred Owl admitted that was hit by a car. 3. Family that rescued the Barred Owl and brought him to REGI for care. )

Friday the 13th! Great-horned Owl and Bald Eagle Hits a School Bus!

A Great-horned Owl was rescued by the side of the road by a member of the public. The homeowner was very worried when she first found the bird but did an excellent job of not only getting him off the road and into a box but also transported him the two hours to our clinic. REGI's location is great in terms of being close to where many species of birds nest and live, but our location in northern WI means we are pretty remote to large human populations. We recieve birds from a very large area it is often impossible for staff to physically come and rescue a bird. Handling large raptors should never be taken lightly. However, with guidance/suggestion from REGI staff birds that would otherwise die where they are injured are rescued and brought in for treatment. The new patient Great-horned owl (GHO) has a broken left wing. The photo shows Dan and Alberta getting a weight on the male adult owl shortly after admission. People are always surprised that birds with broken wings can recover and live to fly free once more. Great-horned Owls are nesting now even here in frigid WI. Most have eggs at this time. The loss of the male at the nest site will be devastaing for the family. Males do much of the hunting while the female is incubating the eggs and when the owlets are very young. The female in this case many not have any option but to abandon the eggs and wait for the male to come home to start another family.

Just as everyone was leaving for the day the Langlade County Sheriff Department called to say a school bus had hit a bald eagle. We jumped in the van and drove @ 35 miles to Post Lake before dark. The eagle was standing about 30 feet into the woods by the road. He gave me a bit of a chase through the deep snow and woods even flying briefly and left both the eagle and myself exhausted. While he did fly he was obviously not feeling terrific. He is a beautiful adult male. It is possible he is the resident male of Post Lake. He has no fractures but does have internal injuries and remains in critical condition. A bus is a serious vehicle to collide with. The eagle was feeding off a carcass on the side of the road. He was apparently was startled by the bus and took to the air. Having filled his crop on meat from the carcass he misjudged his added weight and was not able to gain altitude fast enough to avoid the bus. Fortunately the bus driver and a concerned citizen called in the accident to the Sheriff Department who in turn called us.

The photos show the bird as I approached it and then coming from the woods to the van.

That is all for now.

Best to all,

Marge