Dr. Nicole Palumbo, of Butler Veterinary Associates, holds a female bald eagle found to be suffering from lead poisoning. Skye Spirit Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, near Harrisville, is caring for the 10-pound bird as it recovers. Palumbo, who has treated many eagles over her 15-year career, said the eagle also was missing part of a toe and had some broken feathers.

An area nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation facility will pay $5,000 for treatment of a bald eagle with lead poisoning.

Maryjane Angelo, owner and executive director at Skye's Spirit Wildlife Rehabilitation Center just outside of Harrisville, said the 10-pound female eagle was brought in a few days ago by a state Game Commission officer who retrieved the bird from Utica, Venango County.

She said the 4-year-old eagle was exhibiting neurological symptoms and had broken feathers and an amputated toe.

Angelo took the stately bird to Butler Veterinary Associates, where Dr. Nicole Palumbo found lead in the bird's bloodstream during testing.

Palumbo said a hood was placed over the bird's head and face to keep her calm, and her toes were kept apart to prevent her from using her lethal talons during the examination.

The bird's feathers were “imped,” meaning damaged sections were cut off each feather and new feathers were glued on, so the majestic animal can fly when it is released.Another worrying symptom was the partially amputated toe, which Palumbo cleaned, X-rayed and treated with an antibiotic.“It's down one talon, but still should be able to navigate pretty well,” said Palumbo, who has extensive experience treating raptors.Angelo said raptors ingest lead when they come upon a pile of entrails left behind by a hunter, whose lead bullet remains in the entrails.Lead sinkers used by anglers are another risk to raptors and waterfowl, she said.“Lead in the environment is pretty bad,” Angelo said. “Right now, farmers are shooting groundhogs and leaving them lay.”Eagles and other raptors feed on the dead groundhogs and often ingest lead from the bullet.“Lead the size of a BB will kill a bald eagle,” Angelo said.She said the bird was X-rayed to determine if the lead item she ingested was still inside her.“It was clear, so there is no further lead,” Palumbo said.

She said the eagle she is treating would have died had the Game Commission officer not brought it to Skye's Spirit, as it could not fly and would not have been able to hunt for food if it had survived the lead poisoning.A grounded bald eagle also is vulnerable to predators, Angelo said.Palumbo agrees that hunters and anglers can pose a problem for local wildlife.“Stop using lead bullets,” she said. “We know they're cheap, but if you don't clean up your carcass afterward, there's going to be a lot of sick birds.”She said lead poisoning is the main reason she sees the birds coming into the veterinary office.Palumbo prescribed injections of calcium EDTA for the eagle, which will spend its recovery at the Skye's Spirit facility.Angelo said she will give the bird one injection per day for a week, then give it a week off.“The medicine binds to the lead and processes through their liver and kidneys, which is tough on their system,” she said.

After the two-week process, the bird's lead levels are tested.“We keep doing that over and over until it's gone,” Angelo said. “It could take a month, it could take six months.”If the eagle survives, she will meet the Game Commission officer in the area where the bird was found, so it can be released in its territory.Hopefully, it will not feed again on the tainted carcass where it got the lead.Releasing the young bird in another area could put it at risk for attack by other eagles in that territory, Angelo said.She said she rehabilitates anywhere from one to 10 bald eagles per year, and most of them are suffering from lead poisoning.“Eagles are on the rise, thank goodness, but the more they are coming back, the more problems they are having,” Angelo said.Donations to Skye's Spirit Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, which is one of only 25 such facilities left in the state, can be sent to 898 Farren Surrena Road, Harrisville, PA 16038.Online donations can be made at www.skyes-spirit.com.In addition to birds of prey, Skye's Spirit also rehabilitates sick and injured small mammals, waterfowl, songbirds, bats and native reptiles.Angelo said her facility receives no state or federal funding and operates on donations alone.