KING GEORGE, Virginia (STPNS) -- Waynesboro, Va.  ? An injured Bald Eagle rescued in King George and admitted to the Wildlife Center of Virginia (WCV) on June 16 has died.

According to an afternoon e-mail message received from Randy Huwa, Executive Vice President of the WCV, the adult male Eagle was humanely euthanized earlier in the day on Aug. 26. A necropsy performed that afternoon indicated that the eagle?s overall deteriorating physical condition was probably caused by organophosphate exposure.

In a telephone interview on June 24 Dr. Dave McRuer, DVM and Director of Veterinary Medicine at the Center said the eagle had been diagnosed with organophosphate poisoning. This condition is most often accidental and occurs when animals ingest prey that may have come into contact with pesticides.



When the eagle arrived at the center he was acting shocky and had a right wing droop. The wing condition was thought to be symptomatic of the poisoning which causes neurological problems that keep nerve impulses from traveling between neurons. The necropsy found no muscle, joint, or bone trauma causing the wing droop which supports the initial diagnosis.

The staff at the center initially had been caring for the eagle in a small inside enclosure to prevent the bird from using its wings and further injuring them. On June 24 he was moved to an outside transition enclosure where he could still be monitored but also be able to fly a few feet from perch to perch.

Although the test information released on June 19 indicated that the toxin levels were not extremely high, in the following weeks, the bird?s right wing droop became more significant.

Additional blood work indicated the presence of an infection, and samples were sent to the University of Miami to test for Aspergillus. However the test for this fungal infection common in raptors was negative. A second set of x-rays were taken and no bone or soft tissue damage was noted, but an examination found his right shoulder to be stiff upon rotation.

Huwa?s message said radiographs found a loss of bone density in the eagle?s wrist. He indicated that the veterinarians at the center tried several different methods of wing bandaging along with other treatments, but with no improvement in the eagle?s condition. The eagle also developed serious foot lesions and his overall condition continued to deteriorate.

When the eagle arrived at the center, McRuer said once the eagle was rehabilitated and was well enough he would be released back to the wild ?in the same location he was captured or as near to it as possible.?

Commenting on the decision to euthanize the eagle, Huwa said, ?This was certainly not the outcome we were all hoping for, but without viable additional treatments and because he was not a candidate for placement, we ran out of options.?

Jim Nash of Cedar Grove Farm observed the adult male down in a causeway on his property on Sun., June 14 and contacted U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Al Hundley in the Fredericksburg office.

Hundley, along with Special Agent Mary French, and Virginia Conservation Police Officer R. Tyler Bumgarner of the Richmond County office of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries captured the bird the next day. The eagle that was unable to fly at the time was transported directly to Waynesboro.

On Aug. 26 the King George raptor or Eagle 08-1254 was one of seven Bald Eagles being treated at the wildlife rehabilitation center in Waynesboro.

Each year about 2,500 animals, ranging from Bald Eagles to chipmunks, are cared for at the Wildlife Center.  Since its founding in 1982, the nonprofit Center has cared for more than 50,000 wild animals. Additional information about the Wildlife Center is available at www.wildlifecenter.org.