The bald eagle being cared for at the Carbon County Environmental Education Center has died.

Tests revealed that the eagle had high levels of lead. X-rays showed a piece of lead in the bird’s gizzard and blood tests revealed it was also in its blood stream.Susan Gallagher, the chief naturalist at the center and also a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, thanked two Tamaqua-area veterinarians for their help treating the bird.“Dr. Kathryn Kropp of Companion Animal Hospital and Dawn Mriss from St. Francis Animal Hospital were very attentive and returned calls at all hours,” Gallagher said. The eagle was brought in late last Thursday from the area of the Francis E. Walter Dam in White Haven.Because of the attention needed and prescription schedule, Gallagher took the bird to her Weatherly home over the weekend.By Sunday evening the bird was showing signs of recovery. It was standing and alert, but on Monday it had a seizure.“Once it had a seizure I knew it couldn’t be released,” Gallagher said. “If it survived we would have had to find a home for it where it would be used for education.”Finding a home for the bird would have been a task. Gallagher said that Pennsylvania bald eagles aren’t as rare as they once were and that most places that would use an eagle for education purposes already have one.“In the ’80s Pennsylvania only had three nesting pairs of wild bald eagles.” Gallagher said, “Today, thanks to conservation and habitat protection, we have over 300.”Gallagher said she wasn’t certain how the bird ingested the lead or where it came from. According to the CCEEC sources could be lead ammunition, sinkers from fishing tackle or even discarded batteries.“The center recognizes that sportsmen are our nation’s first conservationists and share the same goals as us,” Gallagher said.“I can’t count the number of times sportsmen brought injured birds or other animals to the center for attention.”With bald and golden eagles being a protected species the bird's carcass must be sent to The National Eagle Repository in Colorado.The center then distributes feathers and other parts of the birds to federally recognized Native Americans tribes throughout the United States for religious purposes.