The American bald eagle that was rescued after falling from a tree in Bettendorf, Iowa has passed away.
The eagle had been taken to a Davenport veterinarian on Wednesday, March 23, 2016. The eagle received care there until Friday when it was transferred to a nonprofit rehabilitation clinic in Iowa City called The RARE (Raptor Advocacy, Rehabilitation, and Education) Group.
An update on Sunday, March 27 from the RARE Group said that the eagle was dehydrated and starving. The group said the eagle had lead poisoning. Click here to read the full update on the eagle.
“This bald eagle’s blood tested HIGH for lead,” read the update. “We immediately began chelation therapy.” Along with the therapy, the clinic offered fluids, medication, food, rest and quiet, but the eagle did not make it.
The RARE Group explained that lead poisoning can be deadly to birds like bald eagles. They can get lead poisoning if they “feed on the carcasses or discarded remains of game animals that were killed using lead, or on other animals that have accidentally themselves ingested this toxic metal,” the group said.
