This was in today’s Trib….Makes me sick that somebody would do this:
Authorities are looking for someone who fired a shotgun blast that seriously wounded a bald eagle near Genoa, Wis. Advertisement
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The eagle was found on the ground, bleeding and near death, about noon Tuesday along Gianoli Road just south of Genoa, a Vernon County village on the Mississippi River.
Several area residents were able to wrap the injured bird in a towel and transport it to Hillside Animal Hospital in La Crosse, where veterinarian Laura Johnson is licensed to treat wild birds.
Johnson said the eagle had multiple wounds to its head, chest and leg, and still carries two shotgun pellets embedded in its left wing.
“He was in very, very poor shape. He was in shock and had lost a lot of blood,” Johnson said.
She operated on the bird Wednesday to close four of the larger wounds, and said at least one more surgery might be needed.
By Thursday, Johnson was able to coax the eagle — thought to be a male, which in birds of prey are usually smaller than females — to take some morsels of chopped quail. Though setbacks could still happen, such as infection or the shock of being in captivity, Johnson said the eagle’s chances for recovery are good.
If it continues to improve, the eagle most likely will be sent next week to the University of Minnesota’s Raptor Center in St. Paul or another facility in northern Wisconsin.
Dr. Laura Johnson feeds an injured bald eagle a meal of quail Thursday at the Hillside Animal Hospital in La Crosse. The eagle was rescued near Genoa, Wis. on Tuesday, March 16th and is recovering from multiple gun shot wounds. PETER THOMSON photo
Although the state’s crow hunting season extends to March 20, it is unlikely the eagle was shot by mistake, said Bob Jumbeck, the Department of Natural Resources conservation warden for western Vernon County.
“This was a fully adult eagle,” Jumbeck said, explaining it has the white head and tail that mark maturity. “There’s no mistaking this bird. I’ve got to believe it was an intentional type situation.”
Pat Manthey, avian ecologist with the DNR’s Bureau of Endangered Species, also is skeptical the shooting was an accident.
“Whoever did it really did a job on this poor bird,” said Manthey.
The two men who initially found the eagle brought it to Mike McClellan’s home in Genoa, where they contacted authorities. He, too, hopes the culprit can be found.
“That’s the national bird,” McClellan said Thursday. “It doesn’t say much for how they feel about their country.”
Bald eagles are protected under federal law, so the person who shot the bird could face penalties of a $5,000 fine and up to a year in jail.
Anyone who might have information about the shooting can call Jumbeck at (608) 457-3022 or the DNR’s tip line at 1-800-847-9367.
Betsy Bloom can be reached at (608) 791-8236 or [email protected].
