November 2009 The Great Outdoors
Patoka Lake's well-known resident bald eagle dies
Indiana’s resident bald eagle, C52, which played a prominent role in Indiana Department of Natural Resources educational programs at the State Fair, Patoka Lake and elsewhere, died Oct. 6 while undergoing surgery.
“Thousands of people became aware of the life of bald eagles through the program with C52,” said Maria Abel-Crecelius, interpretive naturalist at Patoka Lake where the bird had lived since January 1989.
C52, the bird’s leg-band identification, came to Indiana from its nest in Tongass National Forest in Alaska in July 1988 as part of the state’s bald eagle reintroduction program which ran from 1985-89. Before its release from a nesting tower at Lake Monroe, a genetic defect with its right wing was noticed. C52 was unable to fly and would not have survived in the wild.
Instead, the bird was allowed to become an educator for the DNR. “He was a symbol of our country, an ambassador for the species and a celebration of the successful re-introduction of eagles to Indiana,” Abel-Crecelius said.
C52’s death occurred during exploratory procedures at its veterinarian’s office in Louisville. The remains were sent to the National Eagle Repository in Commerce City, Colo., according to federal law.
The 21-year-old bird was featured as part of an Electric Consumer cover story in July 2008 that told of the successful return of the bald eagle and the removal of the species from the federal and state endangered lists. Here's a link to that article.
File photo of C52 by Richard G. Biever
Written By: eceditor
Date Posted: 10/29/2009
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