The specter of avian influenza continues to cast its shadow over the bird population in Indiana and Illinois, as bald eagles, the emblem of American wildlife resilience, succumb to the virus. In recent developments, an eagle found in distress in Northwest Indiana, suspected of having contracted the bird flu, has died, as reported by a WGN-TV article. Meanwhile, the Cook County Forest Preserve District has indicated that a bald eagle found dead in the northwest suburbs likely perished due to the same affliction, a conclusion that draws from the trend of the disease’s expansion to a variety of wild birds, according to information obtained by NBC Chicago.
At the Humane Indiana Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Valparaiso, where the eagle was brought on Monday after its discovery immobile in a field, it was determined that the feathered creature was unable to fly, presenting seizures and signs consistent with toxicosis; although no physical injuries were evident, the bird was distressingly underweight and dehydrated and passed away even as the tests for HPAI sent to Purdue University were still pending. A spokesperson for the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center has stated, “While we are still awaiting test results to tell us conclusively whether or not he was suffering from HPAI, his sudden passing would be consistent with having caught the virus.”
Parallel to this incident, another eagle which had been part of a known mating pair in Busse Woods, was found deceased and per Chris Anchor of the Cook County Forest Preserve District, initial test results indicate a cause of death due to avian influenza; experts suggest that the eagle, like others fallen to HPAI, probably contracted the virus by ingesting sick prey, most likely waterfowl which are currently wrestling with viral infections themselves. “Right now we’re seeing it in waterfowl,” Anchor said, detailing the pathway of infection that spans from aquatic birds to raptors like hawks and eagles, “But we’re also seeing it in great horned owls, hawks and eagles because they’ll feed on” these potentially infected animals…