VALLEY PARK, Mo. — A bald eagle is slowly recovering after surgeries in Missouri, the victim of a shooting that experts say is far too common for a symbol of America and other raptors.
Bald Eagle Shot-Missouri
A bald eagle that was found with gunshot wounds to the upper beak and left wing recovers in a cage at the World Bird Sanctuary on Aug. 26 in Valley Park, Mo.
The male eagle was found injured July 11 in central Missouri. A volunteer with the World Bird Sanctuary picked it up and brought the 7-pound adult back to the sanctuary in suburban St. Louis.
Roger Holloway, the sanctuary’s executive director, said the eagle’s upper beak was nearly split in half by the bullet. It also had an injured left wing and suffered from lead poisoning.
The eagle, designated No. 24-390 because it is the 390th injured bird treated at the sanctuary this year, has undergone three surgeries. Holloway said an operation last week was to further repair the severely damaged beak — a serious injury that would be life-ending if it doesn’t heal.