SCHUYLKILL HAVEN - A bald eagle suffering from lead poisoning, a broken leg and puncture wounds to its body was euthanized Wednesday, despite efforts from rescuers trying to nurse it back to health.
"We gave him every chance to try to recover," Peggy Hentz, owner and wildlife rehabilitator at Red Creek Wildlife Center, Schuylkill Haven, said Thursday.
The eagle was recovering at the center after being found in December by a state Game Commission officer from Lebanon County.
When taken to a veterinary hospital in Wayne on Wednesday to remove a pin in its right leg, it was discovered that the bald eagle needed surgery to repair its leg if it was to survive, Hentz said, adding there were tendon problems.
It had surgery at 6 p.m. and afterward, Hentz was told the bone shattered.
Amputation or euthanasia were the only options.
"An eagle can't live on one leg," she said.
The case shows the dangers of lead in the environment. Hentz said it is believed that the bald eagle ate a fish with a lead lure.
"Everybody is saddened by this one. Everybody got attached to him," Hentz said.