U.S. Steel eaglet recovering well after surgery to remove fishhook
The U.S. Steel eaglet that had to be rescued from its nest this weekend after swallowing a fishhook is recovering well, according to the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia.
The eaglet, called USS 11 because it's the 11th eaglet born in the nest at U.S. Steel's Irvin Plant in West Mifflin, is recovering at the conservation center in Morgantown. In an update posted to Facebook, the nonprofit said USS 11 was "bright and alert" on Tuesday morning and is showing a healthy appetite, with trout as its favorite food.
The eaglet is gaining weight and has been moved to a spot where it can see and hear an adult bald eagle. The conservation center says if all continues to go well, the eaglet can be returned to its nest in the next week or so.
The Tamarack Wildlife Center, which helped coordinate USS 11's rescue, said it's a "relatively safe time" to return the eaglet because it and its siblings are young. The eaglet's return will be coordinated so there will be minimal disruption, and it's expected that the parents, Stella and Irvin, will accept the young bird.
The bird was removed from its nest with permission from the landowner as well as federal and state authorities after viewers of the livestream camera noticed USS 11 had ingested a fishhook on Saturday.
A team of arborists removed the eaglet, and less than 12 hours later, the eaglet received treatment at the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia. The veterinarian wasn't able to remove the hook via endoscopy, so the eaglet underwent surgery, and the hook, along with the synthetic bait and fishing line that were still attached, was removed.
"Thank you so much to everyone involved in the rescue of the eaglet, and to the nest cam viewers who spotted the problem," the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia said. "This eagle would not have survived with the hook and so much fishing line in its digestive tract."
The conservation center says it's a good reminder for fishers to clean up their lines and hooks.
