CLAREMORE, Okla. — A Rogers County animal rehabilitation center is mourning the loss of an eagle that they have rescued twice.
On Jan. 1, 2023, Wild Heart Ranch announced the news of the eagle’s death on social media.
According to a Wild Heart Ranch social media post, the eagle was originally found in a creek bed in Nowata in April 2022. The eagle was named Clay, taking his name from a Nowata County Game Warden who died a few days before the eagle was found.
The post said Clay was found with a broken wing and was not expected to fly again. However, according to the post, “Clay had other ideas.”. Clay was later able to fly and no weakness was found in his wing.
After being healed, Clay later through tore his cage netting and returned to Nowata.
In late December 2022, Wild Heart Ranch said an Eagle was found in a creek bed in Nowata.
Wild Heart Ranch said this “beat to hell” eagle did all sorts of things that they’ve “never seen a wild intake eagle do during exam.” These things included, but were not limited to, being familiar with a hood and a water bowl.
The medical team at the Tulsa Zoo later compared X-rays between this eagle and Clay and confirmed that the eagle was Clay.
Wild Heart Ranch said when Clay was found in December, it was likely he lost a fight with another eagle. Clay suffered from a badly infected foot and had multiple puncture wounds to his mouth, wings and foot. His prior wing repair had held strong and was not the reason for Clay’s struggle.
On January 1, Wild Heart Ranch said in addition to Clay’s infected foot, he had eight-times what is considered a fatal level of lead in his blood. Clay’s death was announced shortly after.
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