OXFORD — Jack Harris was happy to hear that his 4-year-old friend, Buck, had devoured eight rats in 24 hours.

Oxford veterinarian Gary Burt performed surgery to repair the bird's wing, which apparently struck a power line. (Brandi Stafford photos) | ZOOM |

        “Hey, Buck, how you doing?” Mr. Harris said, peering into a large, stainless steel cage at the Animal Care Clinic.

        Buck tilted his head jauntily, as only a bald eagle can.

        On April 16, Mr. Harris of Oxford found the injured bird on the 17th hole of his golf course at Brookville Lake, near Liberty, Ind.

        “He tried to fly, and I could see his wing was damaged,” Mr. Harris said. “It was Providence that I happened to be at the right place at the right time to see him. In his weakened state, he could have been killed by coyotes or some other predator.”

        Frightened, Buck tried to run. He jumped into a lake and swam 250 yards to escape Mr. Harris and, by now, several pursuing Indiana wildlife officers. Finally, they caught Buck with a net.

        “I knew right away he was an eagle,” Mr. Harris said. “I couldn't believe his feet — as big as my hands. And orange. They're some weapons. He wasn't going to give up. He cocked his head, as if to say, "Hey, I'm in charge here.' It was stunning.”

        Buck ended up at the Animal Care Clinic, operated by Dr. Gary J. Burt, who has cared for injured birds of prey at Hueston Woods State Park for 14 years.

        Dr. Burt used external pins to repair Buck's broken left wing and cleared up an infection.

The bald eagle isn't old enough to have developed the distinctive white head feathers his species is known for. | ZOOM |

        “He had a nasty wound,” Dr. Burt said. “Probably he flew into a power line. I can tell from the burning. The bones were protruding and soft tissue was damaged. I gave him a 30 percent chance of returning to the wild. Even though these birds can recover from severe wounds, they might not regain the maneuvering ability they need to hunt prey.

        “But now, Buck has a 60 percent chance, and I'm optimistic. He really is an amazing animal — very regal. He hasn't put up much of a fuss. His attitude is, "I am allowing you to do this.' I think he knows we're trying to help him.”

        The population of bald eagles declined from 1945 to 1979, when DDT and similar pesticides damaged eagle eggs. More recently, eagles in Great Lakes states were threatened by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a cancer-causing substance once used in electrical transformers, hydraulic equipment and paints until it was banned in 1976.

        Since DDT was banned in 1972, the eagle has made a comeback. It was removed from the federal endangered species list last year, but is still listed as threatened.

        Nesting bald eagles all but disappeared from Indiana in the 1890s, when man started tampering with the lakes and forests that eagles needed to survive. But Mr. Harris said he has seen several of the birds around his golf course, and in the last 10 years area sightings have become more frequent — though still rare.

        The full-grown bald eagle is one of the largest birds in the country. Their nests weigh 200 to 300 pounds. The bird's beauty made it our national emblem.

        “Helping Buck has given me a sense of national pride,” Mr. Harris said. “It's an honor.”

        Dr. Burt estimated Buck was on the ground for 36 hours, and had only one more day to live. When found, he weighed only 12 pounds. His regular weight is 18-20 pounds.

        The vet can only estimate the bird's age. He said bald eagles develop a white head upon maturity, about 5 years old, but Buck doesn't have his yet.

        If Buck continues to progress in the next few days, Dr. Burt said, he will be taken to Raptor, a special rehabilitation center near Xenia, where such birds are cared for until they can be returned to the wild.

        “Our goal is to return him to the 17th hole of Buck Point Golf Club and let him get back to business,” Mr. Harris said.
       

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