Rehabilitated Eagles Released Back into the Wild
Three rehabilitated eagles, one male and two females, were released back into the wild Monday, Dec. 15, in Hampton Township, MI. One of the females had been rescued from the Saginaw River in September suffering from West Nile virus, while the other two were emaciated due to not being able to capture prey.
The birds were released by wildlife rehabilitation specialist Sandy Miner and Paty Huddy of the Tri-County Wildlife Support Team at Consumers Energy’s Karn-Weadlock Generating Complex, host to the state’s largest raptor rehab pen.
“The majority of the birds we get come from the thumb of Michigan. There’s a minimum of 15 nesting pairs there,” said Miner. She has helped to rehabilitate birds of prey for 35 years. Once the birds are taken in by the Tri-County Wildlife Support Team, they are evaluated by a veterinarian for contagions and injuries.
“Depend(ing) on the severity of the starvation, we’ll either tube it with electrolytes to get it back in balance, then we’ll get it started with some light food,” continued Miner. After the birds begin eating on their own, they are then observed to determine whether they’ll be able to be released back to the wild and survive on their own again.
Including these three, the Wildlife Support Team has released five birds of prey this year. Last year they were able to release ten.
Source: Michigan Live