MILLINGTON, N.J. (Morris County) — A bald eagle rescued from the Hudson River earlier this year has died after weeks of treatment for severe copper toxicity, according to The Raptor Trust.
The eagle, identified by a New York state band, was admitted to the wildlife rehabilitation center on Feb. 17 after being rescued by the NYPD Harbor Patrol while floating on ice in the river.
Officials said the bird arrived in critical condition and was stabilized before undergoing diagnostic testing, which revealed dangerously high levels of copper in its system.
Despite multiple rounds of chelation therapy — a treatment used to remove heavy metals from the body — the eagle did not respond, and its condition worsened. The bird died April 18.
The eagle was estimated to be 18 years old and had been banded as a juvenile in Stony Point, New York, in 2008. It was known to have successfully nested along the Hudson River for at least a decade.
The Raptor Trust said the eagle’s remains will be sent to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for pathology and further testing.
