It’s been two months since a golfer found Orion crippled and
starving, but it could cost nearly $10,000 in medical care before
the golden eagle can survive on its own.
Gilroy – It’s been two months since a golfer found Orion crippled and starving, but it could cost nearly $10,000 in medical care before the golden eagle can survive on its own.
After various government officials shuttled the bird to doctors who patched him up, Sue Howell is now in charge as the executive director of the nonprofit Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center in Morgan Hill.
Howell is nursing the “magnificent,” nine-pound raptor back to health, but she said money’s tight despite the free orthopedic surgery Orion will receive Aug. 28 at the Princevalle Animal Hospital, in Gilroy, for a dislocated right leg that’s prevented him from flying or capturing prey.
“The leg is floppy, so right now we’re getting prepared with materials to wrap the leg, but it’s been pretty tough on us,” Howell said, adding that the center is also caring for an unnamed turkey vulture that was hit by a car on Pacheco Pass Highway. “It’s very hard to get money. I’m always concerned about that.”
Orion – the “regal” namesake of “the hunter in the sky” – suffered injuries to his legs and talons that are too severe to allow for his release, Howell said. As a result, the California Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are helping WERC find a suitable zoo or similar facility for Orion.
First, though, Dr. James Roush, who could not be reached and whom Howell called “one of the top orthopedic surgeons in the country,” will put bolts in Orion’s leg for free, and the hospital will donate its X-ray machine for the cause. But Howell said she still needs cash for medical supplies, food, water, medications and facility upkeep during Orion’s estimated six months of post-operative care and physical therapy.
The WERC has already spent about $450 on “special medications and blood tests,” and when it’s all said and done, Howell said the bird’s recuperation could cost between $3,600 to $9,000.
“He’s a big eater,” Howell said, adding that Orion eats three to four rats a day. “This is such a beautiful, magnificent bird that really helps us with pesky ground animals.”
Golfer Frank Filice found him June 22 after slicing a ball at the Eagle Ridge golf course. He discovered the eagle when he was canvassing brush near the eighth hole.
“I’ve been in the golf business for more than 35 years, and I’ve never seen anything like that,” said Rick Smith, general manager of the Eagle Ridge Golf Course.
Animal control officers arrived and took the bird to the Princevalle veterinary hospital, where Dr. Suzanne Colbert examined and X-rayed the bird. She and other veterinarians said the bird’s primary injury remained a mystery, but Howell said a golf ball is the likely culprit of a secondary “divot-like” injury on Orion’s leg.
After arriving at the hospital, Orion ate a thawed rat right away, “which is not normal for a bird to consume food in a strange situation,” Howell said. This meant Orion was on the verge of death, but no longer.
“He looks beautiful now, and he’s filled out,” Howell said, adding that Orion is expected to live anywhere from 30 to 40 years.
After his surgery, Orion will enjoy a green-house-sized flight enclosure at the WERC, but this all depends on local generosity.
WERC can be reached at (408) 779-9372.
