The Daily News

Ithaca, America's first living golden eagle resulting from artificial insemination, also a friend to many at the Chahinkapa Zoo and surrounding region, was euthanized Sept. 29 at the age of 37 as a result of complications from the West Nile virus.

Ithaca was hatched May 13,1972, at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., as a part of a research project conducted by Dr. Jim Grier, now an emeritus professor in the biology department at North Dakota State University (NDSU).

Ithaca first appeared in his Chahinkapa Zoo habitat in May of 2002.

Although Tom Schmaltz and Ithaca bonded immediately upon Ithaca's arrival, the eagle wasn't afraid to show his primary handler at Chahinkapa Zoo when he was angry. The pair needed to head to Fergus Falls, Minn., for a show, so Schmaltz grabbed Ithaca and the food he was eating to get in the zoo van. ‘I took it with but I didn't allow him to have it 'till we were done. All the way over he screamed and hollered at me and he got so mad he picked all the rope off his perch to show me he was torched,’ Schmaltz said. At the show, Ithaca behaved properly, but once they re-entered the van he continued to holler until he got his food back. photo submitted Advertisement

"Ithaca was very good with people. He's probably the one eagle in the world that people have ever got to touch safely," said Chahinkapa Zoo Director Kathy Diekman. "He was an outreach animal who served a wonderful purpose in his lifetime."

Ithaca began his life with Grier, who saved the eagle as a young chick when a shipping container used to transport him overheated. He was the only one of three chicks that survived.

It wasn't long before Ithaca became a part of the family, said Grier, who often flew him free for exercise. Ithaca also became a frequent visitor in Grier's introductory zoology class at NDSU.

And just five years after his birth, Ithaca appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson with Grier as his handler.

"In addition to the estimated 21 million people who saw him on the Carson show, I estimate that somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 students and persons at talks were able to see him up close and touch him," Grier said in a Web site formed Oct. 1 dedicated to Ithaca.

The golden eagle's outreach continued upon arrival at Chahinkapa Zoo, where he was part of approximately 100 educational programs per year, Diekman said.

Ithaca quickly found himself comfortable at Chahinkapa, bonding well with Zoo Foreman Tom Schmaltz.

"It was easily in the first two weeks and it was not that he was my bird it sorta was like I was his human. I was just lucky that he picked me," Schmaltz said.

The pair seemed inseparable with the number of traveling presentations they'd do together and the unique nature in which they'd communicate.

Schmaltz was able to identify Ithaca's call from across the zoo, just as Ithaca was able to identify Schmaltz's. Diekman said Schmaltz would often call back to Ithaca, letting him know he heard his call.

"He just enjoyed people and it made it so much easier to work with him," Schmaltz said, adding he has never known another eagle as tolerant as Ithaca.

In October 2002, Ithaca contracted the West Nile virus, which caused him to go blind temporarily. He made a fairly good recovery after being treated with an anti-inflammatory, regaining his normal posture and good eating habits.

Diekman said it was spring 2009 that Ithaca's health began to decline, although she indicated it may only have been partially due to the lingering effects of West Nile.

"We're not sure what was going on with his health but it kept declining. He was being hand fed at the end, with much encouragement from the keepers," Diekman said, who said the decision to euthanize Ithaca wasn't easy. "He was fantastic on exhibit, he was a fantastic animal."

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