Golden eagle shot in Maine being treated

GRAFTON, Mass. – A golden eagle found wounded in the Maine woods last week is being treated at the Tufts Veterinary School Wildlife Clinic but may not survive, clinic doctors said.

The bird, which is on the endangered species list in Massachusetts and Maine, was found by hunters in Alna, Maine, about 80 miles north of Portland. It had suffered a gunshot wound to its left wing.

The golden eagle was brought to the Tufts clinic in Grafton on Wednesday. Doctors said it is in stable condition but has been permanently injured.

“It’s definitely not going to fly again,” Dr. Florina Tseng said Saturday. “There was nothing left for us to fix. The bone was shattered.”

Tseng hopes the bird will recover through medication and treatment.

“If not, we might have to think about euthanasia,” she said.

The bird was brought to the Chewonki Foundation, an environmental education school in Wiscasset, Maine, and then was brought to the Damariscotta Veterinary Clinic.

X-rays showed the eagle suffered severe damage to the ulna and humerus bones and microscopic fragments of lead from the bullet that went through its wing.

Clinic director Mark Porkas said the golden eagle is a 2-year-old male, 3 feet in length with a rich brown plume and flecks of gold on its head and neck.

“It was absolutely doing well, caring for itself, when it was blown out of the sky,” Porkas said.

He hopes whoever shot the bird will be caught and prosecuted.

“In theory, you’re supposed to know what you’re shooting at,” Porkas said.