24th Bald Eagle Dies; Cause Still Unknown

The number of mysterious bald eagle deaths at a southern Arkansas lake hit 24 Monday when an ill bird found during the weekend died at a veterinarian’s office.

Finding the sick bird could be the break biologists needed because blood samples were taken and the eagle was examined by a veterinarian, said Bobby Barger, Clark County’s wildlife officer.

The bird was muscular but nearly paralyzed, Barger said. Two boys found the bird in a field about two miles from DeGray Lake, where 23 birds died between Nov. 24 and Dec. 31.

Through initial tests of other birds, biologists have ruled out poisons, hunters and a strain of bacteria that causes stomach problems.