U.S. Steel eaglet recovering after swallowing fish hook

What started as a routine morning meal quickly turned into a life-or-death rescue for one of U.S. Steel's newest bald eaglets. The two-week-old chick swallowed a fishing hook right in front of the U.S. Steel bald eagle nest cam.

Within minutes, the danger was clear. A race against time and partnership saved the eaglet's life.

"Your heart drops, right? They become your babies, and whenever you see your own child get injured, you want to help in any way you can," said Don German, retired manager at U.S. Steel.

At first, German and his partners watched and waited, but as the risk grew, so did the response.

Calls went out to the Tamarack Wildlife Center, and with them came a major challenge. A rescue like this required approval from federal and state agencies, plus the landowner.

"To get all of those permissions within the course of an hour on a weekend was just stunning," said Carol Holmgren, the executive director and licensed wildlife rehabilitator for Tamarack.

Once cleared, the clock was ticking. That's when Northwood Tree Care climbed in.

They safely extracted the eaglet by 3:30 Saturday afternoon, just hours after the incident.

"We ended up putting it into almost like a tool bag and zippered it up, then got it to the ground, carried it up the embankment, and got it into the vehicle," German said.

The next stop was Morgantown, West Virginia, where a special avian veterinarian, Dr. Jesse Fallon, was waiting.

Images from Dr. Fallon show the hook lodged deep inside the eaglet's body.

Surgery was the only option for the baby.

"Surgery is also risky on any bird, but especially one that's two weeks old. And also going into the intestinal tract is a tricky procedure," Holmgren added.

It had to be done, and now the eaglet is in recovery.

The first 48 hours are critical, but as of Sunday morning, there was a promising update.

"The reports are that the eaglet is doing well, the digestive tract is working, and was given a morning meal," Holmgren said. "If this goes well, birds heal very quickly, and it could be returned to its family in as [little] as a week."

Back at the nest, mom, dad, and the two other babies are doing just fine, waiting for their eaglet to return.

"All good at the nest. We're all very excited," German said. "We are very fortunate these cameras were able to save yet another eaglet's life."

When the eaglet, known as USS11, does return, it'll be accepted right back in.

U.S. Steel also issued a statement on Sunday regarding the incident.

"The bald eagles nesting near our Irvin Plant are an important part of U. S. Steel—symbols of pride for our employees and the focus of a growing community of nature lovers that follow the family via webcam. 

"We're deeply concerned about the health of USS11 and are grateful to Tamarack Wildlife Center for acting quickly to ensure USS11 received necessary treatment. 

"We will share updates on USS11 as we are able."