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OGDEN — An injured golden eagle rescued by a Summit County sheriff’s deputy had surgery over the weekend to repair a broken ulna, says the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah.
Buck, the golden eagle, was eating a dead rabbit on the side of the road when he was struck by a truck last week. Summit County Sheriff's Deputy Buck Bufton captured the bird using his coat and the WRCNU took him in.
The surgery to repair Buck's broken bone took three hours, the WRCNUreported on its Facebook page. Veterinarians from Parish Creek Veterinary Clinic in Centerville are avian certified, said Dalyn Erickson, executive director of the WRCNU, and performed the surgery.
“Both of those vets are extremely knowledgeable in avian health and surgeries and medicine,” Erickson said. “Just because they are so good at it, they were able to do an incredible job of patching him back together.”
Erickson and the vets are optimistic that Buck will return back to the wild.
“He’s eating well, his blood levels are where we want them to be, which is really incredible because he had lost an extensive amount of blood before we were able to get him back into surgery,” she said. “He’s bright and alert and he’s very angry with us right now.”
The WRCNU runs solely on donations. It takes in about 2,000 animals in need every year, Erickson said. Buck’s surgery and medical care will cost up to $2,000.
Both of those vets are extremely knowledgeable in avian health and surgeries and medicine. Just because they are so good at it, they were able to do an incredible job of patching him back together.
–Dalyn Erickson, WRCNU executive director
“We’re lucky to live here in Utah where we have an amazing community that kind of keeps us afloat and keeps us supported,” Erickson said. “So we’re looking to get some help from our folks again.”
People who would like to donate money can visit the WRCNU in Ogden in person or give money via PayPal or credit card at wrcnu.org.
It will take at least three months for Buck to recover from the surgery, Erickson said.
Bald and golden eagles are federally protected species under The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Lacey Act, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Contributing: Dave Cawley, Faith Heaton Jolley
