Rescued Eagle Being Treated for Lead Poisoning

The frantic splashing coming from the water near a pier at the Maryland Yacht Club drew maintenance manager Ernie Jenkins’ attention.

And the source of the splashing spurred him to action: a bald eagle in danger of drowning.

Jenkins grabbed a net and fished out an exhausted national symbol.

“Don’t know why he was in water but I had to save him,” Jenkins wrote on the yacht club’s Facebook page. “I see him all the time here. I know (where) he sleeps. … I know he will be back soon.”

The rescue happened Sunday and has drawn attention to the bird’s plight. “Rocky,” as the club members have dubbed the critically ill raptor, is being cared for at Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research, Inc. in Delaware.

Caretakers say the eagle has lead poisoning, which can affect its brain functions, reports WJZ TV. Eagles hunt for their food, but also scavenge, so Rocky may have eaten lead shotgun pellets from animals hit by hunters, or consumed a lead fishing weight.

The poison had sapped the strength of the majestic bird.

“I said ‘I can’t let him drown; I gotta get him out,’” Jenkins told WJZ. “He was just so exhausted. He just sat there and sat there and sat there.”

Those treating Rocky say that if he recovers, he will be released along Chesapeake Bay near the Pasadena club, and will likely return to the familiar area.

»A bald eagle suffering from lead poisoning was rescued by Ernie Jenkins of the Maryland Yacht Club in Pasadena. Credit: MYC Facebook page