A10
OREGON
East Oregonian
Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Battered bald eagle recovers at Klamath Falls Walden reported
wildlife rescue after fl ying into a moving truck to be one of few
GOP in Congress to
accept Biden victory
By JANET EASTMAN
The Oregonian
KLAMATH FALLS —
A bald eagle hit by a truck
on Friday, Dec. 4, is recover-
ing at the Badger Run Wild-
life Rehab in Klamath Falls
and getting tons of attention
from Facebook followers.
“What a beautiful crea-
ture! Her feet are as big as
my hands,” posted one fan.
The bird, the largest
eagle the nonprofi t facility
has treated in 15 years, has
a 6.5-foot wingspan.
She was too full from
gorging on roadkill, how-
ever, to fl y high enough to
avoid a passing truck when
she suddenly fl ew out of a
ditch, says Liz Burton, Bad-
ger Run’s founder and wild-
life care coordinator who
captured the feisty, battered
bird with the help of the
driver.
The unnamed man, a
contractor, called Badger
Run, which cares for injured
and orphaned wildlife, and
stayed until the bird was safe
in a carrier and on its way to
be treated by a veterinarian.
“This is the fi ercest bird
(Liz Burton) has ever dealt
with,” Badger Run posted
on its Facebook page. “She’s
the fi rst eagle that has ever
actively charged Liz and
tried to talon her.”
“It’s a good sign she’s
fi ghting back,” a commenter
posted on Facebook. “Not a
good sign when they have
no fi ght in them. I think
maybe she has a nest that
she’s working on she does
not want to leave her nest or
her mate. Nesting season is
just getting underway.”
The 11-pound bird was
taken to East Ridge Animal
Hospital in Klamath Falls
where she was anesthetized
in the carrier then given
X-rays and examined by Dr.
Marcie Keener.
The bird does not have
fractures or internal inju-
ries, but she does have low
By GARY A. WARNER
Oregon Capital Bureau
Badger Run Wildlife Rehab/Contributed Photo
A bald eagle hit by a truck on Friday, Dec. 4, 2020, is recovering at the Badger Run Wildlife
Rehab in Klamath Falls and getting tons of attention from Facebook followers.
level-lead poisoning, possi-
bly from lead from ammu-
nition or fi shing tackle that
seeped into the food chain,
says Burton.
The bird, which has
not been given a name, is
receiving twice daily injec-
tions of EDTA for the lead
and meloxicam for pain.
“Dosing her is defi -
nitely a two-man job,” jokes
Burton.
If the bird’s lead level is
clear when retested on Dec.
12, she will be transferred to
a 120-foot fl ight pen to make
sure she can fl y before being
released, says Burton.
If the bird still has a mea-
surable lead level, she will
stay in a smaller enclosure
and start a second round of
chelation treatment.
“I’m sure getting sick &
tired of hearing about lead
poisoned eagles though.
When will people learn the
ramifi cations & dangers of
lead ammo?” asks another
Facebook fan.
Burton started Bad-
ger Run Wildlife Rehab in
March 2005, and the group
treats up to 300 birds and
animals a year.
Most are returned to the
wild. Those that can’t be
released due to their injuries
or another situation receive
lifelong care at the facil-
ity. Some become “animal
ambassadors” to educate the
public about nature.
The facility is licensed to
rehabilitate animals native
to Oregon, except aquatic
mammals and pelagic birds.
Most patients are raptors,
vultures and corvids hit by
vehicles while scavenging
roadkill.
“They see (roadkill)
as free food with no work
required, so they will eat
as much as 10% to 15% of
their body weight in one
meal,” says Burton. “That’s
roughly equivalent to me
eating 20 pounds of ham-
burgers in one meal.”
The bald eagle was feed-
ing on a deer carcass in a
ditch alongside the road,
below the driver’s visibility.
When she heard his truck
coming, she only fl ew up to
the truck’s license plate and
was hit on her left side, stun-
ning her, says Burton.
The driver stopped and
used a shovel to gently lift
and move the big bird off
to the side of the road. He
then called the Oregon State
Police, who gave him the
24-hour hotline for Bad-
ger Run Wildlife Rehab,
541-891-2052.
“Thank ... the driver for
making sure she got help.
That must have been a scary
experience,” posted another
Facebook fan.
Before the coronavi-
rus pandemic, the facil-
ity was open to the public
for educational tours and to
let visitors meet the animal
ambassadors.
WASHINGTON
—
Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood
River, is among just 27
Republi-
can mem-
bers
of
Cong re ss
who will
say Dem-
ocrat Joe
B i d e n
Walden
has been
elected
president, according to a
survey by The Washington
Post published Saturday,
Dec. 5.
Walden, who did not
run for reelection and will
leave Congress after 20
years in offi ce, represents
all of Oregon east of the
Cascades and a portion
in the southwest, includ-
ing Ashland, Medford and
Grants Pass.
The newspaper asked
all 249 Republicans in the
U.S. Senate and U.S. House
“Who won the election?”
Walden was among the
70% of those polled who
did not respond directly to
the newspaper’s query. But
the Post reviewed recent
public statements and put
Walden on the list of 27
accepting Biden as the next
president based on a Dec.
1 interview for a National
Journal podcast.
“I think in the end we’ll
have a transition here, and
you’ll have a new presi-
dent come January 20,”
Walden said in the inter-
view. “I don’t see the math
where this gets overturned
and so far I’ve not seen the
evidence of the amount of
fraud it would take, or mis-
takes — and those occur
in every election — to
overturn the results in any
state.”
Walden added, “So, I
think the die is pretty well
cast” on who would be
president.
Walden could not be
reached for comment by
EO Media Group on Dec.
5. Former state senator
Cliff Bentz, a Republican
from Ontario, was elected
in November to succeed
Walden. Bentz also could
not be reached for com-
ment on Dec. 5.
Walden is the only
Republican in Oregon’s
delegation of two U.S. sen-
ators and fi ve members of
the U.S. House.
Biden beat President
Donald Trump by 7 mil-
lion votes and an Electoral
College win of 306-232.
Trump has made an
unprecedented attempt to
overturn the election result,
making unsubstantiated
claims of massive voter
fraud. He’s lost numer-
ous court decisions trying
to stop ballots from being
certifi ed, lobbying election
offi cials to set aside results,
then attacking them when
they declined his demands.
The Electoral College
votes on Dec. 14, then the
ballots are sent to Congress
for review. Trump is chal-
lenging these usually pro
forma steps in the election
process.
The election ended with
Republicans holding a
50-48 majority in the U.S.
Senate. Two seats from
Georgia will be decided in
a run-off on Jan. 5, 2021.
If Republicans win one or
both of the seats, they will
retain control of the cham-
ber. If Democrats win both
seats, the Senate would be
tied 50-50, with Vice Pres-
ident-elect Kamala Har-
ris, a Democrat, breaking
any ties as President of the
Senate.
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