U.S. Steel eaglet returned to nest after surgery to remove fishhook

The U.S. Steel eaglet that swallowed a fishhook has been returned to its nest after a successful surgery and recovery. 

USS 11 landed back home on Tuesday after arborists climbed up to the nest at U.S. Steel's Irvin Plant in West Mifflin and reunited the eaglet with its parents, Irvin and Stella, and two siblings. It was rescued on April 18 after viewers of the livestream camera noticed that one of the parents had fed it a fishhook. 

"That was a life threat to this eaglet that had a human cause and warranted human intervention, so we got permissions for that, lined up a phenomenal avian veterinarian to respond, ultimately surgery was needed, which was risky but was necessary for the survival of that eaglet," said Carol Holmgren, the executive director of Tamarack Wildlife Center.

The veterinarian wasn't able to remove the hook via endoscopy, so USS 11 underwent surgery, and the hook, along with the synthetic bait and fishing line that were still attached, was removed. 

Holmgren says there's a good chance the eaglet will be accepted back into the family. 

"It is pretty standard for eagle parents to tend to any eaglet in their nest," Holmgren said.

Now that the family is reunited, viewers can continue to watch their journey on the livestream camera. Meanwhile, Tamarack Wildlife Center is hosting a fundraiser contest to name the eagles. For a minimum donation of $5, people can choose between trios of pre-selected names like Sun, Moon, Star and Maz, Hutch and Sid.