Sir Wedginald passes surgery with flying colours

A young adult wedge-tailed eagle shot out of the sky near Gympie last month is recuperating after surgery at the UQ VETS Small Animal Hospital at Gatton. University of Queensland bird medicine specialist Associate Professor Bob Doneley said staff had dubbed the bird Sir Wedginald. "It's recovering well in the hospital's big aviary and is already displaying a good appetite," Dr Doneley said. "We've put four pins in its wing, and an external skeletal fixator bar. "During surgery we found no signs of infection, but a lot of dead tissue had to be removed from the fracture site. "We'll follow up with another examination of its wounds in a few weeks when we will assess if Sir Wedginald needs a bone graft. "If we're satisfied that all is healing well, the eagle will be released for further recuperation with a wildlife carer in two to three months.