ST PAUL, Minn — Officials with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources say an eagle chick on its EagleCam nest died Saturday after it was pushed from the nest by its sibling.
According to a Facebook post, officials say that at around 1 p.m. the older chick is seen pushing its sibling from the nest. The post goes on to say that the nest is roughly 75 feet high, and despite being brought to the University of Minnesota Raptor Center for care, the chick was humanely euthanized.
"It had a fracture of the humerus very close to the joint in it’s left wing that impacted the growth plate area. With this kind of fracture, there is not an option to repair it surgically and it cannot be left alone to heal as the bone would heal in a way that would cause chronic problems and pain for the bird," the post reads. "Because of the very poor prognosis due to the complex fracture and severely progressing signs of internal trauma, the young bird was humanely euthanized to alleviate suffering."
"I'm sad today. It's not easy to have handled this chick a few hours ago and now I know that it had to be euthanized," said Lori Naumann with the Minnesota DNR's Nongame Wildlife Program. "We can only surmise what's going to happen from here — she's had a tough week — her mate left and one of her chicks is gone."
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