WASHINGTON — Valor, the young bald eagle that fell from his nest at D.C.’s National Arboretum, was euthanized Tuesday.
Tristate Bird Rescue and Research in Delaware, where he had been taken for treatment, said in a statement that Valor tested positive for West Nile virus and his health declined sharply. He was already underweight when he was brought from a D.C. wildlife rehabilitation center to Tristate, and he wasn’t eating.
According to Tristate’s Facebook page, Valor was extremely lethargic and was suffering from tremors — a symptom of West Nile — and it wasn’t likely that he would recover.
“The lack of improvement in Valor’s neurologic symptoms after a week of aggressive supportive care led us to the decision to humanely end Valor’s suffering before his condition deteriorated further,” Tristate said in the statement.
The company added, “Our professional assessment was that it was extremely unlikely that he would recover, even for placement at an educational facility. Subjecting him to further treatment, handling and captivity and prolonging his suffering would have been inhumane and contrary to our principles as wildlife rehabilitators.”
Valor was about 12 weeks old.
