Battered bald eagle survives tornado, fights through 3-hour surgery

LINWOOD (KSNT) - A Kansas bald eagle is recovering after being battered by storms and a tornado a week prior.

Three days after violent storms blew across Kansas, lashing the area with hail, rain and even spawning a funnel cloud near Strong City, game wardens with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) were helping with cleanup efforts in Chase County when they came across an injured bald eagle. The bird had taken a beating from what the game wardens said was an EF-2 tornado that blew through the area.

It was here that Operation WildLife in Linwood stepped in. As a haven for injured and orphaned Kansas wildlife, the volunteers there worked quickly to save the bald eagle.

Diane Johnson with Operation WildLife said the eagle had severe injuries when he was brought in. The eagle was found to have a fractured ulna/radius on his right wing and had to undergo a grueling three hours of surgery.

"He's a long ways from being out of the woods. There is infection which we're treating with antibiotics, the inside of the wing looked like hamburger, he's also weak and lost a lot of blood prior to getting to us. It's going to be a long haul but hopefully uphill from now on."

Operation WildLife Facebook statement

Johnson said they've repaired what damage they can for now and are reserved about the outcome due to the extent of the eagle's injuries. A large amount of nerve damage and an infection could reduce the chances the eagle will return to the wild.

"We'll have to let this one ride and see how much healing we get and go from there," Johnson said.

Johnson said people can help the eagle out by donating money to a special fund created by Operation WildLife for the bird's continued healthcare.

"He'll be eating us out of house and home here in a little bit," Johnson said. "His food bill is $9 a day."

So far, $400 has been raised for the injured eagle. A donation link can be found on Facebook by clicking here. You can also make donations to their website by clicking here.