2009 March 11 « Burninghawk’s Weblog

Today we’d like to share information that highlights the work of the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program and a stunningly beautiful Golden Eagle they are rehabilitating. This month 10% of Burning Hawk Wine sales will be contributed to this organization for their important work caring for injured wildlife and educating future generations of wildlife stewards.

It starts with a picture……….

Golden Eagle in good hands after surgery

This Golden Eagle, shown here in the hands of RMRP medical team, was injured in a very similar fashion (at around the same time) as the hawk which was tragically killed here in California and inspired our Burning Hawk Philanthropic Wine initiative.

We asked Judy Scherpelz, Director of RMRP to share some notes about this Golden Eagle’s original injury and what is being done to ensure this bird can fly again in the wild.

NOTES FROM JUDY

Golden Eagle 08-115 (Case number means the 115^th bird admitted in 2008)
Admitted 7/7/08. Found approx. 25 mi. north of Cheyenne, WY
A pair of golden eagles have built their nest on top of a transmission tower (one of those giant ones). This bird was hanging (by its talon) on the tower, about 30 ft. off the ground.
The rancher who found him climbed the tower and freed the bird, which was quite angry at the time. (They rarely say thank you!). The bird was then transported to the RMRP.
He was admitted with a fractured right tarsometatarsus (the lower leg bone just above the foot). He also had electric shock injuries (burns ) around the fractured area and the right foot.
When the bird was admitted, the leg was bandaged, wounds were treated, bird was stabilized (fluids, food, meds, etc.)
Healing of the fracture was slow because of the damage from the electric shock injury. X-rays on 10/1/08 showed signs of infection in the foot. Bird had surgery on 10/8/08 to remove the infected tissue form the foot. Meds and wound care followed. The bird had limited use of two toes on the right foot.
10/21/08 – Bird had surgery to realign the fracture because the foot had rotated out of alignment. A fixator (metal bar) was inserted in the bone to keep everything properly aligned. This process was successful; fixator was removed 12/16/08.
2/16/09 – the bird was moved to our large flight (140’ flying space) where he is now re-learning how to fly and how to be an eagle. Once he regains his flight skills, he will need to build up stamina, and then will go through hunting training.

The team at the RMRP is cautiously optimistic that this Golden Eagle, after a tremendous amount of compassionate and costly care, will be released to fly again in the wild. Their best estimate for a release date is sometime this summer. We asked Judy to explain what motivates her and her team to do the work that they do and here is what she wrote:

“I feel so fortunate to be able to dedicate my life to helping raptors, our community, our environment, our planet. The birds are so magnificent – tough and fragile, and we can give them a second chance at flying free. And when you see “that look” in the eye of a child, the wonder and amazement, the realization that it is up to us to take care of our planet – then you know that you have made a difference for now, and for future generations. The people in this program are amazing – the volunteers are so dedicated, so compassionate, so determined to help these birds. I am very lucky to have this staff – we are like family to each other. Our work is so hard – we have to be dedicated to the program and to each other. There is so much death, so much strife, so much suffering of humans and animals. We can truly make a difference in all of this if we work together. “

The entire team at Burning Hawk Wines extends our thanks to Judy and her team at the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program.

This month 10% of your total purchase of Burning Hawk Wines supports this important organization. Please make your purchase online by using code RMRP1 or call 1.800.289.9463.