Tiger, aka War Eagle VI, the first eagle to fly at Jordan-Hare Stadium, retired in 2006, and despite being 33-years-old she still gets around.
And now thanks to two ophthalmologists, as well as the faculty and crew at the Raptor Training Center, she is getting around better than ever.
Tiger underwent surgery in December to remove a cataract from her right eye, and according to Marianne Hudson, a raptor specialist at the Southeastern Raptor Center, Tiger has fully recovered from the surgery with no complications.
Going under the knife at her age might not be a concern for a human, but for an eagle it is a major factor of consideration; especially since the oldest known eagle was about 45, and the average age in captivity is 28 to 30.
And since 2000 she not only performed during the pre-game shows at the stadium, but had a full schedule of educational presentations that she has maintained since her arrival in 1986, and even after her retirement 20 years later.
"Her activity levels have actually remained normal even when she had the cataract. She is up-and-at-'em; her behavior has been normal. Now we can tell she has vision in that right eye, whereas before the cataract was fully involved," said Hudson.
The procedure that was used on Tiger is called phaco-emulsification, in which the lens of the eye that has become opaque, or cloudy, as opposed to being clear, is removed. It was performed by Dr. Meredith Voyles and Dr. Katie Diehl.
"She can see on that side. She knows when somebody is approaching her over there, versus prior to the surgery if somebody approached her on the right side, if she heard them, she would turn her head to look with her left eye. Now she doesn't do that. She's very well aware if someone's over there." Voyles, ophthalmologist and associate professor with the College of Veterinary Medicine, said.
Within an hour after the surgery Tiger was back on her feet, and all of her subsequent exams show that she has recovered well from surgery.
However Tiger does also have a cataract on her left eye, though it does not seem to be impeding on her vision to an extent that would need surgery.
The cataracts, according to Voyles, are thought to be caused solely by age, and nothing environmental or hereditary seems to be a factor.
"We've chosen not to do surgery yet on that eye (the left). And just because statistically we don't have much data on; obviously we don't do cataract surgery on eagles very much, especially one that's 33 years old. So we wanted to make sure that we weren't going to do any harm, and actually improve her vision," said Voyles.
Tiger, a Golden Eagle, weighing in at 10 pounds and with a 6.7 foot wingspan can be seen at the Southeastern Raptor Center, and on the various educational tours the center performs.
"She's our largest, our strongest and our oldest," said Hudson.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
