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chance." Johnson cited the Kearney man for trapping over exposed bait and not tagging his traps. He paid a $100 fine on each count, plus court costs. Like a state trooper deciding whether to issue a citation or a warning for speeding, conservation officers have digression in cases like this. Thome chose to not cite Grant. "He's a good kid learning how to trap and learning about the outdoors," Thome said. "He's learning about stuff that not every 12-year-old is trying to learn about. While other kids are playing video games, he's out experiencing the outdoors and that's a good thing. "And in this case it seemed more of a situation where Grant was young and new to trapping and probably truly didn't know that what he was doing was wrong. It probably served just as much good, especially for a 12-year-old, to learn about how to do it the right way as opposed to being in trouble and getting a ticket. I'd rather see Grant continue to trap since there aren't near as many kids that age who have been getting involved in trapping." Things could have ended differently had the eagles not recovered enough to be released. Betsy Finch of Raptor Recovery said the group treats birds each year that have been caught in traps, but they don't see eagles every year and it was rare to have two. Often, treatment is not possible. "If the foot is broken or the leg is broken above the foot, we generally have to euthanize them. It's mandated (by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)," Finch said, noting that raptors with one leg are not able to hunt or perch and would most likely die of starvation. Had either bird died or been put down due to its injuries, the perpetrators could have been assessed $5,000 in liquidated damages, the value placed on a species, on top of other fines. The immature eagle was caught by the hallux, its hind toe. The loss of blood caused the toe to die, forcing Finch to remove it. Some rehab centers would have put the bird down. "We feel they need a chance," she said. "I think they can survive. We've had birds come in missing toes and that was not the reason they came in." The mature eagle Grant caught suffered severe bruising on the leg that was caught in the trap. Finch said they were initially concerned that the trap had limited the blood supply to its foot and it would not heal, but in time, it finally did. As it turned out, the eagle needed time to recover from another malady: lead poisoning. Fairly common in raptors, which can ingest the lead by eating fish or game that, or parts thereof, contain shot, sinkers or bullet fragments. Lead poisoning is treated by injections of a chelate, which binds to the lead and can be excreted by the bird. Without treatment, "it certainly would have debilitated her," Finch 38 NEBRASKAland • DECEMBER 2014 The adult eagle's leg, left, suffered bruising and broken skin but healed with no permanent damage. The immature eagle was not so lucky, as you can see the swelling on its right foot, below. The trap caught its rear toe, or hallux, and the loss of blood caused the appendage to die, necessitating its amputation. PHOTO BY DINA BARTA PHOTO BY DINA BARTA