One Wing (eagle)

Last updated
One Wing
Species Bald eagle
Sexmale
Hatchedc.1979
Died2008
Cause of deathHeart tumour
Known forSurviving the Exxon Valdez oil spill

One Wing was a bald eagle injured during the Exxon Valdez oil spill. He ingested crude oil and, during the rescue process, fought his would-be-rescuers and broke his own wing. As a result it was amputated, and he lived out the rest of his life at the Bird Treatment and Learning Center in Anchorage. He served as a blood donor for other birds injured in the oil spill.

Contents

Life

One Wing, then an approximately ten year old bald eagle, was injured as result the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill and found by humans. Poisoned by crude oil, which was likely ingested as a result of eating contaminated prey, One Wing fought his rescuers and broke his wing. [1] He and twenty three other bald eagles were sent to Bird TLC, a wildlife rehabilitation center in Anchorage, Alaska. [2] The volunteers there amputated his left [3] wing but, due to the extent of his injuries, did not expect him to survive. They made the decision to use him as a blood donor. [1] The center estimated that he had donated blood to "hundreds" of other birds during this time. [4]

Despite his poor prognosis, One Wing recovered. He given a mew in Fort Richardson, which he shared with Old Witch, one of the other bald eagles injured during the oil spill. According to James R. Scott, the founder of Bird TLC and the veterinarian who rescued One Eye, the eagle had a defiant disposition, refused to have his beak or claws tended to, and rarely let Scott touch him. [1] In the early 2000s, a boy scout built Old Witch and One Wing a new mew. [5] [3] Old Witch died in 2007. [6]

In May 2008, One Wing died of a ruptured heart tumor. Bird TLC sought permission from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to have him cremated, [7] and announced their intentions to scatter his ashes in Prince William Sound. To commemorate the occasion, a local drum group was given permission to play an Eyak honor song. [4]

One Wing's Gift

One Wing's Gift: Rescuing Alaska's Wild Birds
AuthorJoan Harris
PublisherAlaska Northwest Books
Publication date
2002
Pages64
ISBN 9780882405605
OCLC 47296191

One Wing and his fellow birds at Bird TLC were featured in a children's book written and illustrated by Joan Harris. [4] Harris had originally begun studying to birds at the center in order to complete a set of scientific illustrations. Published in 2002, One Wing's Gift: Rescuing Alaska's Wild Birds contains the story of One Wing and other birds from the center, and ends with nine of them being released back into the wild. [8]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Toomey, Shelia (2002-03-15). "Tenacious eagle still hanging on". Fairbanks Daily News Miner . Vol. XCIX, no. 73. A-3. ISSN   8750-5495.
  2. ↑ "Dedicated Anchorage veterinarian to open state's first bird hospital". The Frederick News-Post . 1991-11-14. C-7.
  3. 1 2 Dorsey, Dave (2005-08-01). "Bird Treatment and Learning Center: Quality Time with One Wing & Ol' Witch". Bird Treatment and Learning Center . Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  4. 1 2 3 George, Rebecca (2008-07-27). "One Wing honored with songs and celebration". Fairbanks Daily News Miner . pp. B1, B3. ISSN   8750-5495.
  5. ↑ Dorsey, Dave (2005-10-25). "Bird Treatment and Learning Center: Fall clean up at the Big House". Bird Treatment and Learning Center . Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  6. ↑ Dorsey, Dave (2007-09-27). "Bird Treatment and Learning Center: Goodbye Ol' Witch". Bird Treatment and Learning Center . Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  7. ↑ McKinney, Debra (2008-05-08). "Eagle survivor of Valdez spill succumbs to tumor on heart". Anchorage Daily News . ISSN   0194-6870 . Retrieved 2024-11-23.
  8. ↑ Manning, Patricia (October 2002). "One Wing's Gift (Book)". School Library Journal . Vol. 48, no. 10. p. 184. ISSN   0362-8930 – via EBSCO.


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