Bald Eagle Found Dead at National Zoo

FoxNews ^ | 07/07/03 | Associated Press

[bedolido]

WASHINGTON

[CholeraJoe]

Even a feral feline would stand no chance against even a sick eagle. Eagles are common in Montana. I've seen them dive bomb large dogs.

[apackof2]

and two zebras starved to death in January 2000.

How could these animals starve to death?
It seems that this zoo has a higher than average death rate

[Sunshine Sister]

Two zebra's starved to death...........how in the heck does that happen in a zoo?

[bedolido]

I live in Boise, Idaho. They're all over here too. I've not seen them attack dogs, howevere I have seen them pull fish from the Boise river.

[Thinkin' Gal]

The male eagle died Friday morning, the same day that the zoo celebrated a new exhibit designed especially for bald eagles hurt in the wild.

Darwin never sleeps.

[commish]

The envirowhackos should be ecstatic -- this is natural selection at work just like in pristine wilderness.

[CholeraJoe]

The eagle wasn't happy that the dog wanted the road kill that it had been feasting on.

[DoughtyOne]

Rat poison shouldn't be used in an area where other animals might come in contact with it.  I would think that was an elemental concept.  As for the two Zebras starving to death, that's really inexcuseable.  It's sounds to me as if the compromised eagle wasn't very well taken care of.

[Wright is right!]

If they want some replacements, they should just hop up to Ketchikan, Alaska, where the bald eagle seemingly outnumbers the locals in this city of some 50,000 folk. You can't walk 50 feet without seeing bald eagles. They're like pigeons in London's Trafalgar Square.

It's a nice life they have - perching on anything handy and waiting for the fishermen to come ashore with their Meals on Wheels.

Michael

[rabidralph]

Two zebra's starved to death...........how in the heck does that happen in a zoo?

They altered their diet to boost a nutrient that they were missing and the new diet was lacking in far more important nutrients that the zebras really needed. I think I heard that they actually froze to death or something weird because the nutrients missing from their new diet were needed to keep sufficient fat on their bodies. But I might be mistaken because an elephant and some other animals died over the past few years due to mishandling of their diets. The story on the Post site says the zebras died of malnutrition and hypothermia. See the fifth paragraph from the bottom.

[Tacis]

"Two zebra's starved to death...........how in the heck does that happen in a zoo?"

Duh!! The zoo is run by the federal government!! The people who are employees of the zoo are federal employees and union memebers. Does that answer your question?

[Manic_Episode]

Bald eagle tastes remarkably similar to trumpeter swan.

[CholeraJoe]

Bald eagle tastes remarkably similar to trumpeter swan.

Does it now? And all this time I thought Eagle was fishier, like Pelican.

[TheSpottedOwl]

Two red pandas that ate rat poison died in January and two zebras starved to death in January 2000. There has been at least a dozen other deaths including a lion, orangutan and elephant.

I think these folks need to hire a better zookeeper. Rat poison????

[Sunshine Sister]

No need to be so sarcastic. Just because the name of the zoo is the "National Zoo" doesn't necessarily mean it's run by gubmint workers. Even incompetent gubmint workers can pitch some hey out for those two animals.

[Sunshine Sister]

No need to be so sarcastic. Just because the name of the zoo is the "National Zoo" doesn't necessarily mean it's run by gubmint workers. Even incompetent gubmint workers can pitch some hey out for those two animals.

[Eagle Eye]

Still there?

[whereasandsoforth]

If not one but TWO zebra's died from lack of proper diet, then the National Zoo is a National Joke.

I'll be visiting the St. Louis zoo this week. It will be my second visit. It is a fabulous place. Maybe National should send over a few of their finest experts to learn a few things about zooing animals.

[ko_kyi]

If I am not mistaken, the National Zoo is part of the Smithsonian and is a quasi-governmental entity, which means that in general federal personnel rules apply.