A bald eagle named Zeppelin – who defied the odds and survived severe lead poisoning – was left blind and needs a pricey surgery to save his life, according to the B.C. organization that rescued the raptor.
Tracey Reynolds, the animal care manager at the BC Wildlife Park, said lead poisoning is common among birds of prey. But this five-year-old bird – named as a nod to the band Led Zeppelin – is the first one that she’s seen escape near-certain death.
“Most of the time, that lead does so much damage that there’s no saving them,” Reynolds said.
Zeppelin was rescued by Good Samaritans on the side of the road in December of 2024, and testing confirmed there were potentially lethal levels of lead in his system. Raptors get poisoning by eating the carcasses or guts of animals that have been shot with lead ammunition, and there is no way for them to naturally expel the poison.
The only way to remove it is through chelation therapy, which involves injections of an agent that can bind to the lead – allowing it to pass through the bird’s system.
After undergoing successful chelation therapy, Zeppelin is alive, but complications from the poisoning left him with cataracts, which have progressed to the point where the bird can no longer see.
“We have to hand feed him at this point, and he barely moves from his perch, which is really heartbreaking,” Reynolds said.
The park is fundraising $3,500 to pay for cataract removal surgery, which a local animal eye doctor is providing at a steep discount.
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While Zeppelin will never be able to return to the wild, there is hope that enough of his vision can be restored that he can continue to live in captivity. If his vision can’t be restored, Zeppelin will have to be euthanized
“Given his age and his disposition, he could have the potential of having a good life here if we can resolve this for him to some degree,” Reynolds said.
“We see a lot of heartaches here. It’s really nice to be able to try and go that extra mile.”
The wildlife park is fundraising online and also hoping an influx of in-person visitors over the Easter weekend will help them meet the goal.
If Zeppelin has a successful surgery, the plan is for him to serve as an educational ambassador at the park – teaching the public about the danger lead poisoning poses to birds of prey.
“It’s just kind of under the radar. I don’t think people realize how much it happens,” Reynolds said.
