Smoke signals., August 01, 2011, Page 14, Image 12

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Smoke Signals
AUGUST 1, 2011
Tribal member nurses bald eagle back to health
JeffCooney uses mouth-to-beak
CPR to save Injured bird
By Barney Lerten
KTVZ.com
BEND - He's still not out of the
woods, so to speak, but a badly in
jured bald eagle is still recovering
well, a Bend vet said on July 15
despite a scare two days earlier
in which he had to perform mouth-to-beak
CPR on the raptor, newly
named "Patriot."
Two La Pine women found the bald
eagle, apparently hit by a car, near
Crane Prairie Reservoir in June.
Three weeks later, about halfway
through a hoped-for recovery period,
the bird's fractured wing is healing,
as is his dislocated elbow and wrist,
said Tribal member Dr. Jeffrey
Cooney of Bend Veterinary Clinic.
After a contest, the eagle has been
named Patriot quite fitting for
America's national symbol. More
than 20 names were submitted,
from Spirit to Bend Franklin, and it
was close. Patriot received the high
est number of votes, Cooney said.
"He has gained 10 percent of his
body weight and is eating fish like
crazy," Cooney said. "His attitude is
greatly improved, and he's starting
to act like a normal, rambunctious
eagle."
But there are still worrisome
signs.
The dislocated shoulder and his
paralyzed right leg are his major
problems right now," Cooney said.
Then there was the frightening
moment during an exam and physi
cal therapy when, under anesthe
sia, Patriot stopped breathing.
Cooney stepped in and performed
"mouth to beak" resuscitation to get
the bird breathing again.
Still, at this point, Cooney says
he's not sure Patriot will ever be
able to return to the wild.
And if he's unable to fully recover,
Cooney said they could be forced
to euthanize him, rather than con
tinue living in pain.
"I kind of like the guy," Cooney
said. "If he could get his foot back,
a little better," the odds would
improve markedly, thus a protec
tive blue "bootie" that completed a
red, white and blue outfit was only
fitting.
But "his shoulder is really badly
damaged," Cooney said. "It's not
a surgical repair, so if he was go
ing to live forever in pain from the
shoulder injury, I'd have to eutha
nize him."
"If he could live, any facility (for
raptors) would like to have him,"
Cooney said. "He was just hurt so
bad."
"He is doing pretty well now,"
Cooney said when contacted on
Monday, July 25. "It's a day-today
event. We are waiting to see
what happens with his shoulder
and leg."
However, Cooney said, "Patriot
will most likely not be able to be
released into the wild." B
Includes information from Sunt'
mer Youth Employee Melissa
Biery.
Photo by Jeannette Bonomo
Tribal member Jeff Cooney, a
veterinarian in Bend, gives mouth-to-beak
resuscitation to Patriot,
bald eagle he has been helping to
recover from what was most likely a
run-in with an automobile.
Saddle Club holding luau
The Saddle Club will be holding a luau beginning at 11 a.m.
Saturday, Aug. 13, west of Grand Ronde Road near the site of the
old Food Bank.
The luau is free, but donations will be accepted.
For more information, contact Tribal member Clint Folden at
503-559-1977. D
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Tribal Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy, second from left, greets
the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Canoe Family upon
their arrival, via the Columbia River, to Chinook Landing Marine
Park in Fairview, which is part of the Grand Ronde Tribe's ceded
lands, on Wednesday, July 1 3. Tribal member and Canoe Family
Skipper Bobby Mercier, left, helped greet the family who
were stopping for the night on their route of this year's canoe
journey "Paddle to Swinomish."
The Grand Ronde Canoe Family sings and drums as the
Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Canoe Family approach the
beach at Chinook Landing Marine Park. During Grand Ronde's
hosting of the Warm Springs Tribe, there was singing, drumming,
meals and Warm Springs were guided by Grand Ronde through
their ancestral lands on their arrival and departure.
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Photos by Michelle Alaimo