Barb Rogers of Wildlife Recovery Association near Shepherd, the facility in which Michigan Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Larn Strawn took the adult male bald eagle after retrieving it from M-20 near Lincoln Road in Union Township, said the bird’s condition is very critical.
Rogers and husband Joe own the rehabilitation facility and took the eagle to veterinarian Dan White of the Animal Medical Center in Midland, where White determined through X-rays that there were no fractures.
However, Barb said, the bird has partial paralysis of its legs, which could be caused my a number of injuries, and White put the animal on steroids to reduce swelling.
Barb said the eagle will be kept in a padded enclosure to prevent him from moving around too much and to keep him upright, adding that he will be kept in a quiet area conducive to recovery.
But Barb warned that there are no guarantees, and that they will care for the eagle and feed him, then take him back to White next week for another evaluation and to work out a future plan, if the bird is healing.
Barb said it was a miracle that the eagle did not have to be euthanized Thursday and that he could have internal injuries that X-rays would not catch.
Police on Thursday released information about the accident, and the motorist who hit the eagle expressed sadness, horror and frustration at not being in a position to be able to help after being unable to avoid the collision Wednesday afternoon.
Isabella County Sheriff Leo Mioduszewski said a passerby called central dispatch after seeing the bird in the 1200 block of East Remus Road.
A good samaritan passerby was exactly what Kyle Schafer of Mt. Pleasant was hoping for after trying to no avail to avoid hitting the bird in the box truck he was driving in heavy traffic in on East Remus (M-20) near Lincoln Road in Union Township.
Schafer, who said he was mortified at hitting the animal, was driving east on M-20 and saw the bird in a ditch on the west side of the road when at the last minute, it flew off with what appeared to be a dead raccoon in its talons.
Although he hit his brakes, traffic was too heavy for him to swerve to avoid hitting the bird, or at least the dead animal it was carrying, which hit the truck’s windshield, Schafer said.
With the traffic volume and the size of the 26-foot box truck he was driving, Schafer thought it would be too risky to try to pull over to help and that stopping could be dangerous for himself and other drivers.
Schafer saw the eagle fly back to the other side of the road and hoped a witness in another car would call for help.
When Schafer returned a few hours later, still upset by the accident, the bald eagle was gone.
After a caller notified Isabella County Central Dispatch, Deputy Michael Hosking arrived at the scene and found the eagle, which had hobbled off the roadway but was unable to fly.
Mioduszewski said the eagle tried several times to fly but was unable because it could not get a running start.
Hosking notified Michigan Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Larn Strawn, who arrived to take the eagle to a rehabilitator.
Strawn gently covered the eagle with a beach towel and picked him up with heavy-duty gloved hands and arms.
He took the bird from the scene in a large tote, then put him in a cage when he got it to Wildlife Recovery Associates.
Strawn said the eagle was “very active” with strong wings and a lot of muscle mass.
“He seemed very healthy aside from his injuries,” Strawn said, warning that people should never try to pick up an injured eagle and to leave it to professionals because eagles can bite and will cause injuries.
Eagles rely on their legs and talons for perching, and the injured bird had no use of either leg or lower body, which stopped it from flying, Strawn said.
That is indicative of spinal or back injury, he said.
Strawn said he is hopeful about the eagle’s chances of survival.
“The good news is, there is a very healthy resurgence of nesting pairs of eagles in the area and throughout the state,” Strawn said. “There are more than 800 nesting pairs in Michigan this summer.
“That is a huge increase considering just 20 years ago, there were only 50 pairs.”
(The Morning Sun - July 9, 2015)
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