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The years take a toll on everyone including animals.
It is especially hard on wildlife. Time is especially
cruel to raptors (birds of prey) which proudly and freely soar
the open skies and then suddenly find themselves grounded and
starving to death. There are no handicapped parking spaces,
401Ks, Medicare, retirement homes or meals-on-wheels for elderly
raptors. However, if they are very lucky, someone comes along
who recognizes their situation and makes a call to the Illinois
Raptor Center (IRC) in Decatur.
When an old female Bald Eagle found herself blind in one eye
and her sight failing in the other, her life became a struggle.
On the ground in Garrett, Illinois, west of Tuscola, she was
helpless, unable to find food, weak and starving. An Amish
family spotted the bird in their pasture and invited a neighbor
to look at the bird they found. The neighbor, Cynthia Appleby,
assessed the situation and immediately phoned the Illinois Raptor
Center.
Jacques Nuzzo, Program Director at the IRC, was about to leave
work for the day but stopped short of going out the door to answer
one last phone call. Because Bald Eagles are not all that
common in the area, Nuzzo was not convinced that the caller had
actually found a Bald Eagle. But Appleby was insisting
that her description was accurate so Nuzzo threw a pair of heavy
gloves, a large net and raptor equipment (hood and wing restraint)
into the IRC Jeep Liberty and headed toward Garrett.
To Nuzzo's surprise, there in the pasture stood a very, very
large Bald Eagle. The size of the bird indicated that it was
a female. Getting closer to the bird, he could see that
one eye was hazed over. He could walk toward her on that
side and she could not see him. Turning her head, however,
she caught sight of him and launched herself with huge wings
into the sky. She flew up and away about 300 feet, circling
to the right before crashing to the ground.
As Nuzzo approached her again, she flew up and tried landing
in a tree only to fall through the branches to the ground. Nuzzo,
quickly seized the bird's moment of confusion and netted her
as gently as he could. She knew the chase was over. She surrendered.
Proudly and bravely she accepted whatever fate she was now to
endure.
Nuzzo restrained the huge bird with the raptor equipment and
thanked the people who had cared enough about the bird to make
the call to help her. A crowd had gathered to watch the rescue
and Nuzzo spent a few moments educating people about eagles and
their natural history. The Amish family had named her "Ruby"
and the name fit her perfectly. She was truly precious. With
Ruby now secure in the raptor equipment, Nuzzo headed back to
Decatur.
Jacques Nuzzo and Ruby.
Many birds come through the door of the Illinois Raptor Center
but none as large and majestic as the Bald Eagle. A symbol of
our nation, IRC directors feel it is truly an honor to help these
birds that are protected not only by state and federal law (covering
all native wildlife) but by special laws that protect eagles,
their nests and their habitat.
Ruby is a survivor. She must have seen so much in her long life.
Eagles can live to nearly 25 years or more in the wild and Ruby
is an old bird. She must have flown up and down the Mississippi
and the Illinois Rivers countless times. She has seen years of
habitat change, habitat loss, progress and increasing human civilization.
She has undoubtedly been mother to dozens of eagle chicks. She
may have even outlived several mates. She survived for months
after being blinded in an eye. But Ruby's long life and
good fortune in the wild had come to an end.
Ruby figured out quickly that if she is to survive she has to
adapt to being fed by people, adapt to being handled by people
and adapt to being around people. Ruby is a very smart bird.
She swiftly picked up on the fact that Nuzzo had food and food
meant life. It took very little coaxing to get Ruby to eat. She
never panicked. Even with failing vision, she saw that the
IRC was there to help her.
The Department of the Interior, US Fish and Wildlife Service,
Migratory Bird Permit Office in Fort Snelling, Minnesota must
be notified within 48 hours of admitting a federally endangered
species or an eagle to any wildlife rehabilitation facility in
the Great Lakes Region. After making that call, Nuzzo made an
appointment with a veterinarian that specializes in avian care,
Dr. Ken Welle, of All Animals Pet Clinic in Champaign, Illinois.
Ruby made the trip to Champaign in a carrier not in raptor
equipment this time. She rode very well. During the exam,
Ruby behaved extremely well. After she was returned to the carrier
she was rewarded with a treat and ate it eagerly. Most birds
don't think of eating after such an ordeal but Ruby is a real
trooper.
During Dr. Welle's exam he found that Ruby was thin. Normally
a large female Bald Eagle can weight 13 to 14 pounds. Ruby weighed
10 pounds. The right eye showed a partially detached retina,
and the left eye showed a completely detached retina. Partial
vision was present in the right eye, but Ruby is completely blind
in the left. Iris atrophy suggested advanced age. Otherwise,
Ruby had no other abnormalities. However, Ruby's days in
the wild are gone forever. Ruby will need long-term care
and a permanent home.
Returning to Decatur, Nuzzo quickly put the wheels of the government
in motion for Ruby. With another phone call to the USFWS Migratory
Bird Permit Office, Nuzzo began the paperwork process to request
that Ruby be added to the IRC's Eagle Exhibition Live Permit
and enable Ruby to live out her life at the IRC. On June
6th, the IRC received the signed, dated and stamped USFWS document
giving approval to that request. Ruby is now a wildlife ambassador
for the Illinois Raptor Center!
Ruby's care is now up to Nuzzo and Jane Seitz, Executive Director. Nuzzo
and Seitz care for nearly two dozen nonreleaseable birds of prey
at the present time. Included are hawks, falcons, owls, eagles,
and a Turkey Vulture. A male Bald Eagle from Minnesota named
Kenny is one year old and is blind in one eye. Phoenix, a female
Golden Eagle, from South Dakota is a wing amputee and has lived
at the IRC for 10 years. In addition, the IRC recently
received permission to give another eagle a permanent home. A
male Golden Eagle found near Yellowstone Park with arthritis
and shrapnel from a possible gun shot embedded in its wings will
soon make its home at the IRC. Plans are being made to ship the
bird on Delta Airlines to Bloomington where the IRC will pick
him up June 9th.
The eagles and other permanent education raptors at the IRC will
be able to be seen by the public in presentations given by the
IRC at such events as Havana, Meredosia and Starved Rock Eagle
Day Celebrations as well as other presentations throughout the
year. Ruby will now be part of the IRC's Raptor Camp for
children 11 to 14 during the last week in June.
The IRC has the largest traveling live raptor conservation program
in Illinois giving 73 outreach programs in 2005 reaching over
13,000 people. The IRC travels the state, and also Indiana and
Iowa, educating people about habitat, natural history and how
to live with our wildlife neighbors. This year the IRC has
built a new outdoor education pavilion and will be able to schedule
on-site programs for the first time. The IRC has been at
its present location since 1994.
Ruby's food and care - like each of the other raptors, both
permanent and in rehabilitation - will costs hundreds of dollars
a year. The cost for food is presently $1,000.00 per month and
will go up with the addition of two more eagles. The IRC now
needs to build additional caging and is planning a new eagle
complex to house the 4 permanent resident eagles at a cost of
$12,000.00.
The IRC is calling on the generosity of the community and surrounding
areas to help Ruby and the other birds by donating to the "SAVING
RUBY FUND".
Click on the Paypal button at right or send a donation to:
Illinois Raptor Center
5695 W. Hill Road
Decatur, IL 62522.
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Summary...
Animal Rescued - Female Bald Eagle
Date of Rescue - 05/22/06
Rescued by - Jacques Nuzzo, Illinois Raptor Center
(IRC)
Location - Garrett, Illinois farm pasture in Douglass
County
Finder Amish family and phoned in by Cynthia Appleby,
Arthur Illinois
Reason for rescue eagle down in field/unable to
fly
Veterinary care by Dr. Ken Welle, Champaign, Illinois
Examination findings advance age, slowing
become blind
Determination eagle cannot be returned to the wild
must be euthanized or a permanent home must be found
Saving Ruby - IRC applies for permission to keep
eagle under education permit
Happy ending - on 06/06/06, the IRC receives USFWS
permission for permanent possession of the eagle..Ruby will live
out the rest of her life at the IRC.
Your donation can help us take care of Ruby
and other permanently injured birds of prey.
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