Eagle Rescued In Md. Now In Recovery From Lead Poisoning

PASADENA, Md. (WJZ)—Normally, bald eagles are spotted flying high above. But not the eagle an Anne Arundel County man saw.

Alex DeMetrick reports this eagle was struggling for its life in a Pasadena Creek.

The Maryland Yacht Club sits where Rock Creek empties into the Chesapeake Bay. Maintenance manager Ernie Jenkins was walking the property when he heard frantic splashing near a floating dock.

"I turned and looked and there he was, an eagle in the water with his wings stretched out. I said 'I can't let him drown; I gotta get him out,'" said Jenkins, Maryland Yacht Club.

Club photos show he did. Using a net, Jenkins scooped the bald eagle out of the water. It was in bad shape.

"He was just so exhausted. He just sat there and sat there and sat there," Jenkins said.

Even though they have talons instead of webbed feet, eagles can swim.

Video captured by WJZ at the Blackwater Refuge shows an eagle using its wings.

It eventually made it to shore, but even the floating dock in Pasadena was too high for the eagle to reach.

Medical tests show it was suffering from lead poisoning, possibly affecting its brain.

Scavengers as well as hunters, eagles can ingest lead shotgun pellets from animals hit by hunters.

"He might of got a rabbit that had pellets in him, or a fishing weight off of someone's fishing line," Jenkins said.

Like other rescued eagles, Jenkins turned his bird over to the Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research sanctuary in Delaware, where a therapy to remove the lead is underway.

While it's currently touch and go for the eagle's recovery, Jenkins has hope.

"If he turns for the worst at least I tried. I gotta try you know, but I would love to see him back. I would love to see him back," Jenkins said.

If the eagle recovers, it will be released near the Chesapeake Bay. Experts say it would likely find its way back to Rock Creek and Jenkins.

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