Surgery for Bald Eaglet

By Karin Bolcshazy

On April 18, 2026, the youngest of three eaglets at the US Steel Irvin facility – 2-week-old bald eaglet named USS – 11 - was seen on the public livestream ingesting a fishing hook and filament line that was inside a fish while being fed by its mother Stella. The incident prompted a rapid mobilization: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was contacted to get permission to remove the eaglet from the nest for treatment.

The eaglet was rescued by tree climbers and whisked away to West Virginia for medical treatment where Dr. Jesse Fallon of the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia performed surgery. He said when the eaglet was brought in, it was quiet, alert and responsive. The pictures below were taken at the center – how adorable!

X-rays confirmed the hook had traveled deep into the eaglet's digestive tract, making less invasive removal impossible. The surgery was successful and had a routine closure. They kept the eaglet for another 10 days, providing it with fluids, antibiotics, pain medicine and doing assisted feedings. In order to keep the eaglet from imprinting on the humans who were feeding it, the staff at the conservation center used an eagle puppet and kept the eaglet in contact with an adult eagle at all times. He got better and better, and stronger.

Fallon said. The eaglet doubled in weight in the 10 days he spent at the center recovering. Arborists returned it to the nest and placed it next to its two sleeping siblings, and the parents accepted it back into the nest.

Resources: Dr. Jesse Fallon Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia