Patient 23-706 Release!

Here’s a special release of Patient 23-706, who came to us back in November of 2023 with a broken ulna in her right wing caused by a gunshot injury. A total of seven lead projectiles were found in this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk’s body (can be seen in the radiographs after the release). Patient 23-706’s broken wing healed fine, but this hawk persistently tested high for lead toxicosis for months, despite receiving multiple chelation treatments in our care. This was an unusual case as we more commonly see lead toxicosis when ingested and introduced through the GI tract, but rarely in gunshot victims. Projectiles usually remain lodged in muscle tissue, and while some lead might enter the bloodstream through minor absorption at the wound site, the amount is generally insufficient to cause the same level of systemic toxicosis as ingestion does. One of the many shot fragments in this bird’s body somehow introduced lead into the bloodstream. ORC’s Dr. Rasp suspected it to be the one near the spine (shown in the last lateral or sideview radiograph).
Her lead levels finally went down, and she was returned to the wild by ORC Director and founder Kim Stroud a few weeks ago. Wishing 23-706 a long, lead-free and healthy life in the wild!
#RedTailedHawk #WildlifeRehabilitation #GunshotVictim #FreedomFriday

[@MyAnimalAddiction]

Thought that hawk would never take off - hurt my shoulder just thinking about holding her aloft for that long! 😂 [Xlnt job, Kim!]