Bald Eagle Dies While Undergoing Rehab In Morris County

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — After months of rehabilitating and trying to diagnose a sickly bald eagle, The Raptor Trust has announced that the bird has died.

In February, The Raptor Trust, based in Long Hill Township, took in a bald eagle that was pulled from the Hudson River by the New York police’s Harbor Patrol Unit.

Experts at first did not know what was wrong with the bird, only establishing that it was in “critical condition.”

Over the next few weeks, the bird showed some signs of improvement, becoming more active and beginning to eat again.

However, bird experts continued to find troubling blood test results, specifically with regard to its liver and the discovery of copper toxicity.

This month, the Raptor Trust used a treatment known as chelation to flush the copper out of the bird's system. Despite several rounds of this only sometimes successful process, the bird’s copper levels did not decrease.

The bird ultimately died on Saturday.

"Our experienced medical team consulted with wildlife experts, as well as state and federal wildlife agencies, to determine the best course of treatment," a spokesperson told Patch. "We followed the best practices in the field, and we did everything that could possibly have been done."

The Raptor Trust said the eagle was 18 years old, relatively young for the species’ 20-30 year average lifespan. It nested successfully for at least ten years along the Hudson River, according to experts.

Its remains were sent to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for further testing.

Previous Coverage:

• Morris Co. Eagle's Health Has Improved, But It's Not Out Of The Woods Yet: Bird Rehab
• Bald Eagle Caretakers 1 Step Closer To Diagnosis In Morris Co.
• Update On Unwell Bald Eagle Being Cared For In Morris County
• Bald Eagle In ‘Serious Condition’ Being Treated In Morris County