Auburn’s War Eagle VII could be in early stages of heart failure
By Jake Rill
Published:
More bad news arrived about Auburn’s golden eagle, Nova, from the university on Wednesday.
The school announced that Nova, who is War Eagle VII, could be in the early stages of heart failure, according to university veterinarians. Nova hasn’t flown at football games since 2017, when he was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a chronic disease of the heart. The decision was made to reduce stress.
“Nova’s condition has been medically managed and he has remained stable during the past two years, however, during his October exam, we observed decreased systolic function and enlarged vessels in his liver,” Dr. Seth Oster, faculty avian veterinarian for the college’s Southeastern Raptor Center, said in a statement. “This could be an indication of the early stages of heart failure.”
According to the university, Nova’s medication dosage has been adjusted in hopes of improving his condition.
Nova, who is 20, came to Auburn in 2000 after being hatched at the Montgomery Zoo a year earlier. He made his first pregame flight in 2004 and became War Eagle VII in 2006.
In Nova’s absence, Aurea, a 5-year-old golden eagle, and Spirit, a 23-year-old bald eagle, have made pregame flights for Auburn this season. That will likely be the case again when the Tigers return to action on Nov. 16, when they host Georgia at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. He has covered the SEC since 2016.
