A bald eagle live cam was first installed in 2018 in Kisatchie National Forest. In 2021 viewers were able to see the first egg laid by a pair of eagles fondly named Louis and Anna. Louis and Anna’s first eaglet was named “Kisatchie” through a special naming contest held for the public.
The following was posted by Kisatchie National First on social media on Jan. 1:
We are saddened and heartbroken to inform everyone that Anna died on Jan. 1. Anna began to present symptoms of nasal discharge, diarrhea, and slight tremors while at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine’s Wildlife Hospital. She even had a seizure, indicating she was having serious neurological distress. Before she could suffer worse symptoms, the vet euthanized her.
The results of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) test will tell us definitely if Anna had the disease, although everything does present as if she did. If she did not have HPAI, her body has been frozen and a necropsy will be conducted to determine the cause. As soon as we receive the results from the test run on Anna, we will let you all know.
Why did Anna have to be euthanized so quickly rather than wait 48 to 72 hours for the test results?
1) Anna was suffering
2) LSU does not have a bio-secure area to hold sick animals. Since Anna appeared to have HPAI, if they kept her and it was confirmed she had the disease, they would have to euthanize every bird in their facility – including three eagles undergoing rehabilitation, a Cooper’s Hawk, and many other raptors and various other birds. Avian Flu is a serious, deadly disease of all birds that is of grave concern.
Anna, the female in E-1 (mate is Louis), was already showing signs of being unwell as of Jan. 1. However, her symptoms were a little different from Andria (the female eagle of E-3 which died on 12/8/2023, cause still unknown, waiting on necropsy results.) Anna was last seen on Saturday; but made an appearance on Sunday at dusk when ANOTHER female eagle ambushed her in mid-air and knocked her to the ground! Everything was caught on the eagle cams so Forest Service staff were able to hasten to the site and capture Anna using a large net and blanket.
Anna was transferred to the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine’s Wildlife Hospital in Baton Rouge for assessment by wildlife biologist tech, Cody Austell.
MEANWHILE, “As the Nest Turns,” a NEW pair of eagles have done a walk-through of the E-3 nest and may decide to take up residence if they like the neighborhood as Alex has flown the proverbial coop and not been seen for days. Louis has tried to continue to incubate his and Anna’s single egg while a new Female has appeared and tried to get cozy. He was having none of it but she is persistent and continues to hang around. She may have been the culprit who chased poor Anna away and knocked her down.
Many have asked how they can contribute to the conservation and care of eagles. The USDA Forest Service does not endorse or encourage donations or contributions to specific organizations, but does want to share that there is a way to donate to the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine’s Wildlife Hospital.
This wildlife hospital is the only facility able to receive eagles in Louisiana. We learned from our interaction with the veterinary doctors that they operate the wildlife hospital on a modest budget and help make ends meet through donations. Please see the instructions below on how to donate specifically to the wildlife hospital, if you choose to do so:
1) Link https://bbis32491p.sky.blackbaud.com/give-now
2) Type in ‘Wildlife’ under “Fund Name” and hit <Enter>
3) Click the drop-down arrow under ‘We found 3 matching funds’
4) Select ‘Wildlife Hospital of LA Support Fund’
5) Enter amount of donation and follow the instructions on how to enter payment. You may also donate in memory or in honor of someone, etc. and designate in the comments.
The public can view the live eagle cams at www.youtube.com/@KNFcams/streams.