For those that did not get to see the bald eagle
release on Saturday March 5th here are two videos that are
now on U tube of that release for you and your friends to watch and for
those that did get to see it now you can watch it again. Hope you enjoy
them and share them.
This adult golden eagle migrated south from Montana to
Southern Utah where it was hit by a car in late February 2010. Unfortunately
this is far too common an occurrence. Eagles frequently feed on road kill
and will consume so much food that they cannot fly which puts them in harm’s
way by uneducated motorists, who think these large predatory birds will be
able to get out of their way. Unfortunately, frequently they can’t.
After being hit by a car, this eagle had to suffer a
cruel and inhumane fate at the hands of a human. Someone walked up to the
injured eagle held him to the ground and with a pair of pliers ripped out
every one of his tail feathers. This is not only an act of animal cruelty it
is also a federal offence. Such a barbaric act is akin to holding someone to
the ground, taking a pair of pliers and ripping out their fingernails.
The injury to the eagle from the car accident was
serious but looked repairable. He suffered a concussion, bumps and bruising.
The act of ripping out his tail feathers could permanently disable the eagle
for the rest of his life. The eagle was brought to Martin Tyner of the
Southwest Wildlife Foundation by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
Mr. Tyner specializes in eagle rehabilitation.
UPDATE! After two
weeks our new patient, the tail-less golden eagle, is recovering nicely from
his injuries that occurred when he collided with a semi-truck. He has
recovered from his concussion, his road rash, bumps and bruises. He is
feeding on his own and just this morning we found him up on a perch in front
of the window enjoying the morning sunshine. If he had not had his tail
ripped out he would be ready for release in the next week or so.
Check back for updates on this eagle and if anyone would like to help
care for the injured wild creatures please donate buy contributing any
amount below:
And now to answer your
questions.
Q: Was it a golden eagle or bald
eagle?
A: He is a golden eagle.
Q: How old is the Eagle?
A: At best guess he is
approximately 4 years old. The best way to identify the age of a golden
eagle is the amount of white in his tail feathers and unfortunately those
were ripped out.
Q: Is it a male or female?
A: It appears to be a
large male. The way you can tell a male eagle from a female is from its
size. The females are a third larger than the males.
Q: What is the average weight of a golden eagle?
A: The golden eagles
that have come through our rescue center range in weight from 6 to 13
pounds. The males range from 6 to 9 pounds and females 9 to 13 pounds.
Q: Will the tail feathers grow back?
A: Hopefully. It depends
on how much damage was done to the quill socket as the feathers were ripped
out. It’s very much like having your fingernail ripped out. If the cuticle
is damaged the fingernail may or may not grow back. If it grows back it may
be permanently deformed.
Q: What happens to the eagle if the tail feathers do
not grow back?
A: This is the question
I hate to answer. By state and federal law, as a wildlife rehabilitator,
there are three things that we can do. The first is to return every animal
back to the wild possible, and of course that’s always our goal. If an
animal is permanently disabled and cannot be returned to the wild, they may
be placed in a federally licensed wildlife educational facility and if that
cannot be done, again by federal law, the wild creature must be put to
sleep.
Q: Can the eagle survive in the wild without its tail
feathers?
A: No. The tail is a
combination of two different flight controls, the rudder and elevator.
Without his tail feathers he may be able to fly but he will not be able to
steer well enough to catch his food (jackrabbits and prairie dogs).
Q: If the eagle can’t be released, can’t the
Southwest Wildlife Foundation keep the eagle for the rest of his life?
A: Not without
everyone’s help. Ten years ago Rocky Mountain Power, our local electric
company, donated to our volunteer organization 23 acres of beautiful canyon
property in Cedar City for the construction of a permanent wildlife rescue
facility and a nature park for the children of Utah. The purpose for the
park is to create habitats for non-releasable wildlife to be on display for
the education of the children of Utah and our guests that visit us from all
over the world.
UPDATE! Sadly a few days after our last update, our
tail-less eagle suddenly died from his injuries. Any injury combined with
the stress of captivity can be more than some critters can handle. Would he
have survived had his tail not been pulled out? We will never know. We are
extremely saddened by his loss.
A North
American Bald Eagle found weak and disorientated on December 15th,
3 ½ miles northwest of Cedar City.
Cedar City Police dispatch called volunteer wildlife rehabilitator, Martin
Tyner, of the Southwest Wildlife Foundation to pick up the sick bird.
The eagle was suffering from a mild case of
poisoning. After 2 ½ weeks of care and good food the beautiful bald eagle,
our national symbol, was released as a crowd of approximately 200 southern
Utah residents cheered the eagle on as he soared to the sky.
Stephanie Furnival, director of the Iron
County Children’s Justice Center was chosen to release the eagle on behalf
of all the children the Children’s Justice Center cares for.
It is a common belief that if you say your
prayers with an eagle feather the eagle feather will carry your prayers to
God.
The bald eagle released today has over 7000
feathers and is capable of carrying over 7000 prayers to the heavens, 7000
prayers for the children of Utah.
To most people, the
turkey vulture has a face only a mother vulture could love, but this is
not the case with wildlife rehabilitator, Martin Tyner, of the Southwest
Wildlife Foundation. Mr. Tyner sees the turkey vulture as pure perfection,
because it is so perfectly designed to do what it does. It helps to keep the
deserts and mountains clean by feeding on carrion.
This two year old turkey vulture was found three
miles west of Cedar City, Utah, emaciated and dieing. Mr. Tyner was called
in to rescue the bird. After a week of tube feeding, the turkey vulture
began to gain strength. After a couple of months of care and feeding the
vulture was returned to the wild on Friday August 21st, 2009
This young Swainson's
hawk was rescued and rehabilitated by the Southwest Wildlife Foundation
and was released by PAWS volunteers, Sara, Carol & Karen from St. George UT
on September 3, 2009. PAWS website is
www.dixiepaws.org
A 1 ½ year old golden
eagle was found wandering an apple orchard just east of Beaver Utah in
early November showing possible signs of poisoning.
Martin Tyner of the Southwest Wildlife
Foundation was called in to rescue the sick eagle. After three weeks of
care and feeding the sub-adult golden eagle was returned to the skies over
Beaver Utah.
Mike Neilsen, of Beaver Utah was chosen to
release this eagle in honor of families who had recently had children pass
away. He and his wife Jill lost their one year old baby daughter, Kaidra,
in 2002. Kaidra’s birthday was just last week and she would have been 8
years old.
On November 29, 2009 Mr. Tyner passed the
golden eagle into the arms of Mike Neilsen. A large crowd of Beaver
residents gathered to cheer as the beautiful eagle was returned to the
sky.
On June 15, 2007 the headline read, “REWARD
OFFERED FOR EAGLET SHOOTERS.” Two of three eaglets
were shot in their nest and killed from above by unknown shooters. The
third tumbled from the nest to the bottom of a mine pit surviving the
shooting.
The SWF was called to rescue
the lone survivor and care for him until he could be released.
Lone Survivor was released at Cedar Breaks
National Monument on August 18, 2007 by retired Marine Master Sergeant,
Steve Cantonwine.
For more information about this eagle's story
please visit
The Southwest Wildlife Foundation
released a North American White Pelican on Sunday, March 22 at the
Farmington Bay.
The Pelican was found in the fields
west of Parowan in Southern Utah, unable to fly. Martin Tyner of the
Southwest Wildlife Foundation was contacted by the Utah Division of Wildlife
Resources to rescue the bird.
The pelican was in such a weakened
state that it just laid down as Mr. Tyner approached and had apparently been
down in the fields for several days unable to complete its migration from
the Gulf of Mexico to the rookery at the Great Salt Lake.
The Southwest Wildlife Foundation
provided a place for the Pelican to recover while Martin asked the citizens
of Cedar City for donations of fish. The community quickly responded
providing fish to the foundation which Martin blended up into a liquid (fish
shake) which could then be tube fed to the weakened pelican.
The pelican rapidly gained strength
and weight and was transported the last three hundred miles of its migration
to Farmington Bay on Sunday morning where it was released.
Steve Dee receiving last minute instructions before he released this
rehabilitated golden eagle on June 17, 2008.
Wildlife Rescue and
Rehabilitation
We are
federally and state licensed to care for native Utah wildlife including
threatened and endangered species, specializing in raptors.
A variety of wildlife comes to us for many different reasons. Sometimes
starving or orphaned, other times injured. Many different kinds of
babies, from hawks, falcons, eagles and owls to cottontail rabbits,
chipmunks, squirrels, and deer, come to us each spring needing foster
care. Frequently raptors are hit by cars.
Many birds are
injured flying into windows, fences or caught by domestic pets.
After evaluating their condition and getting the medical help they need,
these wonderful creatures are fed and cared for until they are healthy
enough to be released back to the wild.
