The Carbon County Environmental Education Center’s resident golden eagle has contracted a rare and severe lung infection.

But Susan Gallagher, the center’s chief naturalist, said the bird is getting the best possible care from a team of experts.

“It is a day-by-day process but she is still with us,” Gallagher said. “She is a tough, tough gal.”

As the golden eagle recovers, she’s been spending time inside the White Bear Drive center where she’s treated with medication — and even undergoes breathing treatments.

It was in early August, Gallagher said, that staff noticed that something wasn’t right with the bird. Daily feeding records noted that she wasn’t taking in as much food as usual.

At first, Gallagher said, staff believed it had to do with the blazing temperatures since the eagle is housed outside in a large enclosure.

“She doesn’t like to eat as much when it is hot,” Gallagher noted.

But when temperatures decreased, the eagle’s appetite didn’t increase. Staff thought it might have had to do with the injured wing that brought her to the center years ago.

X-rays, however, revealed it wasn’t the wing, but lesions on the bird’s lungs.

It turned out to be what’s likely a fungal infection called aspergillosis, Gallagher said.

The fungus that causes the disease is found almost everywhere and at any given time, she explained.

“There’s not a lot you can do to completely prevent it in birds,” she said. “Some birds are more susceptible than others — older birds, immunocompromised birds. The golden eagle is 25 years old. It’s possible she has another good 10 years in her but she has to get through this first.”

Unfortunately, Gallagher said, the infection is difficult to treat.

“Anyone who’s dealt with a fungal disease knows (a cure) is not easy, and it’s not quick,” she said.

Luckily, the infection was caught early and a care team was assembled to care for the bird. Leading it is Dr. Michele Goodman, director of animal care at Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown. She, along with Dr. Colleen Clabbard and their staff, performed specialized lab work and imaging, including a full CT scan, Gallagher said.

With the CT scan, the care team was able to determine the exact location of the lesions.

“They donated that CT scan to us for free. We just want people to know how wonderfully generous and kind they have been to us,” Gallagher said.

While the eagle returned to the center after spending some time at the zoo, the zoo staff continues to be in touch with Gallagher and her staff.

“They are constantly emailing, communicating and talking on the phone so we can tweak our treatment plan as we go along,” Gallagher said.

Staff is determining what measures the bird is best responding to.

Medical providers must handle her multiple times daily, and she even gets nebulizing treatments.

“She has to go into a nebulizing crate, which she gets less and less happy about as she starts to feel better,” Gallagher said. “It’s getting to be just as much of an art as a science — what will she tolerate, what doesn’t stress her, and what does she absolutely need us to do despite the fact that it may be stressful.”

Gallagher thanked a number of experts for their help and expertise, including Dr. Erica Miller, University of Pennsylvania; Dr. Sara Sanford-Childs, Cornell University’s Janet Swanson Wildlife Hospital; Dr. Rinske Tacoma-Fogal, Dr. Brechtsje Tacoma, Carol Holmgren and staff, Tamarack Wildlife, Hazle Drugs Compounding Pharmacy and an anonymous donor.

Gallagher noted that she was able to sit in on a webinar about the fungal disease presented by Dr. Panos Azmanis of the Dubai Falconry Hospital.

“It was only supposed to be for veterinarians but they let me in,” Gallagher said. “I learned a lot. I was able to ask him some direct questions to fine tune her treatment. They are all wonderful, wonderful people.”

The center will continue to post updates about the golden eagle on its Facebook page.

“She is hanging in there,” Gallagher said. “We are working really hard to beat that infection back down. She’s been through a lot.”