Who shot this eagle? There’s an $8,000 reward for info

It's been six weeks since an American bald eagle was rescued from a tree in Alexandria township after being shot in the leg, and caretakers say while "Lily" has improved he's still not healthy and authorities are continuing to offer a reward for information on the bird's assailant.

Chris Sousy of the Raptor Trust - the organization rehabilitating the eagle - says there is an $8,000 reward for information leading to the person who shot Lily with a pellet gun in early December. The reward is being sponsored through a partnership between the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Humane Society and Crimestoppers of Hunterdon County.

"It's both a state and a federal crime to shoot these birds," Sousy told NJ 101.5.

According to Sousy, the eagle is stable for now, but not completely out of the woods.

"The longterm outlook is still guarded," Sousy said.

Lily suffered nerve damage in his injured leg, lead poisoning and other ailments as a result of being shot by an unknown suspect. It took three days for wildlife experts to lure him from the tree using bait ranging from fish to a squirrel, but the eagle refused to budge for days.

Lily was not in good shape when it was taken in by the Raptor Trust. In addition to dehydration, the bird also had blood in it’s mouth and it’s broken, dangling leg was still bleeding. Wildlife experts took the bird for X-rays and emergency surgery and found that he had been shot.

"Lily's broken bone seems to be healing," Sousy said. "We took the pin out and the infection seems to have subsided."

But although the bone is in better shape, Lily is still having problems using his leg. Sousy said for an eagle, the use of both legs is critical to survival, especially in the wild. The legs are needed for hunting and balance.

"A large, top predator like this eagle needs to be able to hunt and if Lily cannot regain almost all of the use of the injured leg, he will not be able to be released. If he is unable to use the leg even a little bit - just to balance, shift weight, hold food - he won't even be a viable candidate for life in captivity," Sousy wrote in a post on the Raptor Trust's Facebook page.

In addition to the injured leg Lily has been treated for lead poisoning since being rescued. The lead levels in his blood are much lower now, so he's off medication and treatment for the led poisoning - which involved a procedure that can be uncomfortable for the patient.

But while Lily's future is still uncertain, Sousy said there's been some good news recently - Lily was  able to eat on his own. For weeks, caretakers have faced the daily struggle of having to re-capture and basically force-feed the eagle, which Sousy described as "a very stressful process for his caretakers."

Sousy said Lily also didn't seem to have much of an appetite for a while, which may have been because of the led poisoning and treatments.

"Lily's lead levels are down and we have discontinued to treatment for that, so he may be feeling a bit better. And he is gradually needing fewer and fewer other medications, so maybe his stomach just feels better and he's finally hungry and willing to do something about it on so own," Sousy said on Facebook.

The eagle was recently moved from the indoor infirmary to a larger, outdoor enclosure where he can finally spread his wings. The move to a more familiar environment may also have helped with his appetite and enabled him to keep down the food he's consumed, which had been a problem over the past few weeks.

"He has some room to stretch his wings, perch on large branches, etc. It's a slightly more natural looking environment and perhaps that has made him feel more comfortable," Sousy's Facebook post states.

Sousy said the Raptor Trust is planning to schedule a consultation with a specialist soon to further determine of Lily will ever gain full use of his leg again.

“We suspect some pretty significant nerve damage in his leg," he said.

But for now, caretakers will continue to nurse Lily back to health and urge him to eat on his own. They're still not sure if they will be able to release him back into the wild.

Soucy said anyone with information on who may have shot Lily can contact the Operation Game Thief hotline at 1-855-OGT-TIPS.

Toniann Antonelli is the digital managing editor for news at NJ 101.5. Reach her at toniann.antonelli@townsquaremedia.com, or on Twitter @ToniRadio1015.