ISAIAH & MRS. JEFFERSON
ISAIAH: Species: Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Bald Eagle • Hatched: 1988 • Sex: Male
Disability: Missing one eye
MRS. JEFFERSON: Species: Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Bald Eagle • Hatched: 1989 • Sex: Female
Disability: Blind in one eye, amputated hallux
Isaiah and Mrs. Jefferson are permanently disabled, non releasable bald eagles that were transferred to American Eagle Foundation in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, where they are cared for for life.
Read more about AEF’s Captive Breeding and Hacking program.
Isaiah
Isaiah is a male bald eagle from Missouri who was injured by a shotgun in 1988. One of the pellets destroyed his left eye. Although he retains full flight capability, his loss of vision makes survival in the wild difficult. Isaiah arrived at American Eagle Foundation’s education, breeding, and rehabilitation center in 1991 and was placed in the Pick a Mate section of Eagle Mountain Sanctuary at Dollywood in hopes that he would select a mate and produce offspring that could be released into the wild.
Mrs. Jefferson
Mrs. Jefferson is a female bald eagle found in 2000 standing but unable to move on a riverbank by canoeists, who carefully transported her to shore. She was examined and found to be favoring her left wing and leg, with no fractures but possible nerve damage. She was also blind in her left eye due to an old injury. Because of her limited vision and the removal of her hallux, or back toe, which is essential for hunting, she was deemed non releasable. She was placed in Eagle Mountain Sanctuary at Dollywood in hopes that she would select a mate and raise young for release.
Pairing and Breeding History
Both eagles were originally placed in the Pick a Mate section of Eagle Mountain Sanctuary, Isaiah in 1991 and Mrs. Jefferson in 2000. In 2011, AEF staff observed nesting activity and, after closer identification, confirmed that Isaiah and Mrs. Jefferson had paired. During annual physicals in November 2011, positive identification was made and the pair were given their own nest in a private enclosure at Eagle Mountain Sanctuary.
Mrs. Jefferson laid her first egg in 2012, and the pair successfully raised an eaglet that was later released into the wild in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains at Douglas Lake. Over the years, they hatched and raised numerous young as part of AEF’s Captive Breeding and Hacking programs. In 2014, the pair was featured on AEF’s live nest cam program, where viewers could distinguish them by Isaiah’s missing eye and Mrs. Jefferson’s limited vision in one eye.
UPDATE 11-19-19
Viewers will notice that Mrs. Jefferson and Isaiah are no longer featured on our Dollywood Eagle Cam page. Unfortunately, Mrs. Jefferson has glaucoma, an eye condition that requires her to be kept off-site at AEF headquarters where she can receive the ongoing daily care that she needs.
Kaitlyn Dotson, Curator of Ornithology at the American Eagle Foundation, elaborated on this condition:
“Mrs. Jefferson was taken off Eagle Mountain Sanctuary on June 2, 2019 because caregivers noticed that she was squinting her eye a lot. She was taken to the University of Tennessee School of Veterinary Medicine where Mrs. Jefferson was examined by both Dr. Jones, who is the primary veterinarian for all our birds, and an ophthalmologist.
It was determined that Mrs. Jefferson had uveitis (an inflammation of the eye) and also glaucoma. The pressure in her eye initially was 60 millimeters of mercury – whereas normal eagle eye pressure is between 10 – 20. So the pressure in her eye was seriously high. She was prescribed 3 drops a day for about a month, and the uveitis cleared up completely. However, glaucoma is a condition that will have to be monitored and treated for the remainder of her life.
She was taken to AEF headquarters where she is under special care. Her eye pressure is currently around 28, so much better than it has been! Of course, since Mrs. Jefferson and Isaiah were a mated pair, everyone wants to know how they are doing since they have been separated, and what kind of long-term care will Mrs. Jefferson have to have.
Even though AEF caregivers would love to see Mrs. Jefferson and Isaiah back together up on the hill, that just isn’t possible. Our long-term goal for Mrs. Jefferson is for eye drops to be a positive experience for her. We hope to glove train her so that she can have the best quality of life possible. Isaiah is already back in the Pick-A-Mate section, where he seems to be comfortable and doing very well. Isaiah has been in Pick-A-Mate before, so that is not unfamiliar to him.”
2020 Update
Mrs. Jefferson and Isaiah have been reunited at AEF headquarters.
ABOUT BALD EAGLES
Bald Eagles typically mate for life. They will only look for a new mate if their faithful companion dies. Together, they build huge nests known as ‘aeries’ atop tall and strong trees. They make use of twigs, grasses, soft mosses, and feathers in making their nests.
They normally return to the same nest during breeding season, adding new materials to it each year. A new eagle pair’s nest measures about five feet in width and two feet in depth, but as they add to it year after year, it can reach widths of over ten feet and weigh up to a ton or more.