When a bald eagle needed fish to fly again, North Texans supplied 50 pounds of food
DALLAS — A North Texas rehabilitation hospital opened its doors to a rare patient earlier this month: an injured, 7-pound bald eagle in need of fish.
The Blackland Prairie Raptor Center is a conservation nonprofit located in Lucas, in northeast Collin County, that tends to wounded birds. Every once in a while, bald eagles will be admitted into the facility’s hospital for rehab, said Annamarie Saavedra, its executive director.
More than two weeks ago, Lorenzo Carbajal was fishing at Lake Tawakoni in East Texas when he heard an animal making noise in the distance. Carbajal made his way to the sound, and spotted an eagle entangled in fishing lines, flailing around in the water. He and a few nearby park visitors went down to the water and tried to free the bird from the strings, but were unsuccessful in their efforts. Later, a game warden arrived at the park and brought in the eagle to the rehab center.
The eagle, which doctors estimate is around 2 1/2 to 3-years old, was admitted into the hospital Feb. 3 with nicks and bruises, as well as a mild case of lead poisoning — which isn’t unusual for the species due to their diet, Saavedra noted.
Shortly after being admitted, the center put out a call on Facebook, asking for fishermen in the area to supply its newest patient’s diet of locally caught fish. Within a few days, the center received at least 50 pounds of fish, which was much more than was expected. “We had to stop accepting fish because we had so much,” Saavedra said, who added that the center was “grateful” for the response from the local community.
To nurse the eagle back to full health, veterinarians addressed internal issues found in its bloodwork and monitored its flying ability through special eagle flight cages, Saavedra said. When the eagle was ready, doctors moved it to the largest flight cage to ensure its readiness and test its strength.
The bald eagle released back to Lake Tawakoni Thursday.