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Omaha Plastic Surgeon Solves the Mystery of the Bald Bald Eagle, Plans to Operate on the Bird Again
Omaha World Herald ^ | July 19, 2017 | Michael O'Connor

Posted on 07/19/2017 2:28:05 PM PDT by NEMDF

Dr. Coleen Stice usually performs surgery on humans, but this week she had an entirely different type of patient — a bald eagle.

Stice, an Omaha plastic and reconstructive surgeon, lent her skills to help the injured bird, found this spring with a mysterious head wound.

The eagle was discovered on the ground south of Syracuse, Nebraska, in May and brought to Fontenelle Forest’s Rehabilitation Center near Elmwood, where it’s being cared for.

Raptor experts were baffled over what caused the strange mark on the bird’s head, a spot that should be covered with white feathers.

(Excerpt) Read more at omaha.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Local News
KEYWORDS: bald; baldeagle
I am glad they figured out how the bird was hurt.
1 posted on 07/19/2017 2:28:05 PM PDT by NEMDF
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To: NEMDF

for a second I read the headline and thought that maybe the eagle had “feather plugs” on it’s head like Joe Biden...


2 posted on 07/19/2017 2:31:44 PM PDT by GraceG ("It's better to have all the Right Enemies, than it is to have all the Wrong Friends.")
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To: NEMDF
She examined the bird about a week ago at the rehabilitation center and determined that the wound was caused by a burn — possibly from hitting an electrical wire while flying. On Sunday she removed the scab during a 30-minute procedure in the surgery suite at Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium’s Center for Conservation and Research.

The zoo’s veterinarian intern anesthetized the eagle. He and Dr. Stice were assisted by zoo veterinary technicians.

Betsy Finch, rehabilitation manager at the center, said the plan is for Stice to attempt a skin graft on the eagle in a couple of weeks; healthy skin will be removed from elsewhere on the bird and attached to its head.

If the graft is successful, the bird would have feathers on its head again, which would be an essential step for it to be released into the wild. Without feathers, the bird would suffer dangerous sunburn.

Eagles can get sunburned? There is such a thing as avian anesthesia? Oh, the things I learn on Free Republic.

3 posted on 07/19/2017 2:32:08 PM PDT by texas booster (Join FreeRepublic's Folding@Home team (Team # 36120) Cure Alzheimer's!)
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To: texas booster

It can only get sunburned if it remains a bald bald eagle, it seems. I love his little leather hat, reminds me of WWI aviators.... But he’ll probably have to give it up, if he goes back into the wild.


4 posted on 07/19/2017 2:33:36 PM PDT by NEMDF
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To: GraceG

Not yet, sounds like that is coming (feather plugs) with the next skin graft.


5 posted on 07/19/2017 2:52:15 PM PDT by NEMDF
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To: NEMDF

Mark of the devil?


6 posted on 07/19/2017 3:43:35 PM PDT by PAR35
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To: NEMDF
If the graft is successful, the bird would have feathers on its head again,

I don't get it, a true bald eagle and now they want to change it to a feathered eagle?

7 posted on 07/19/2017 3:47:51 PM PDT by Hot Tabasco
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To: NEMDF

In Olde English, “bala” meant “a white patch.”

In Middle English, bala became “ballede.”

In Modern English, ballede became “bald.”

A “bald” horse has a white-marked face, and most mountains called “bald” are snow-capped for at least part of the year. A white-headed eagle = bald.


8 posted on 07/19/2017 4:20:18 PM PDT by Paal Gulli
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