A group of dedicated volunteers is collaborating to affix a synthetic beak onto a deformed Alaskan bald eagle, with the aim of ensuring her survival.
Beauty, an Alaskan bald eagle, was left with a stump where part of her beak was lost due to a shooting incident. Despite her name, Beauty’s appearance is far from glamorous. However, a group of volunteers is now working on creating and attaching an artificial beak to the eagle in order to help her survive.
Biologist Jane Fink Cantwell, who runs a raptor recovery center, compared Beauty’s current situation to trying to eat with only one chopstick. Unable to hunt or groom properly, Beauty’s quality of life has been greatly affected. Cantwell and her team have been collaborating for the past two years to develop a solution for the eagle. The plan is to affix the artificial beak to Beauty next month, which will greatly improve her chances of survival. Though she may not be able to thrive in the wild, with the new beak, Beauty could potentially live for many more years.
According to Cantwell, “She was unable to survive in the wild without human help.” The 15-pound eagle, named Beauty, was discovered scrounging for scraps of food and gradually starving to death at a landfill in Alaska. Unfortunately, most of her curved upper beak had been lost, leaving her tongue and sinuses exposed. As a result, she was unable to grip or tear at her food.
Beauty was brought to a bird rehabilitation facility in Anchorage, where she was carefully hand-fed for two years as her caregivers hoped for a new beak to grow – but to no avail.
“They had used up all their resources and the decision to euthanize was looming,” Cantwell mentioned.
Volunteers stepped up to lend a hand when Beauty was brought to Cantwell’s Birds of Prey Northwest sanctuary in Idaho upon receiving federal permits.
Not long after, Cantwell crossed paths with Nate Calvin at a speaking event in Boise. Calvin, an engineer, generously offered to create a prosthetic beak. The team quickly grew as a dentist, veterinarian, and other specialists volunteered their expertise.
Models of the current beak components were created and then digitized in a computer to ensure the bionic beak could be reproduced with utmost precision.
Biologist Jane Fink Cantwell is caring for Beauty, a rescued Alaskan bald eagle, by feeding her salmon with forceps at a raptor recovery center near St. Marie’s, Idaho. Beauty will soon receive a new artificial beak to replace the one that was injured by a gunshot. Cantwell mentioned, “One side of the beak has more damage than the other, so it’s not a straightforward fix like a snapped-off beak at a 90-degree angle.” The artificial beak made of nylon-composite is lightweight, sturdy, and will be securely attached to the eagle.
