ROSEVILLE — The bald eagle rescued on Tuesday by Mitch Robinson of Stronghurst did not survive. All those involved did the best they could, but it wasn’t enough.
The bird, dubbed Marahute, was first taken to the Roseville Veterinary Clinic, but by Thursday, his condition had not improved. He had too much lead in his blood, and he did not survive.
Robinson saw the eagle on the side of the road as while he was driving to work on Tuesday, Jan. 30. He stopped to see if there was anything he could do. The bird was still alive, so he wrapped it in an old sweatshirt and put it in his truck.
"It was very hard to shift gears and hold the eagle still," he said.
He stopped at the Roseville Veterinary Clinic to see if they could help. He carried the bird to the back room and then headed out to work hoping they could nurse the eagle back to health.
Marahute was then transported to a private refuge owned by Tammy Hanley
of Hoopdale, and then sent on to the Illinois Raptor Center in Decatur.
An autopsy will be performed to see exactly how the lead got into the bird’s system and what actually caused his death.