Injured bald eagle shot in beak is receiving care at Missouri bird rehab facility
A bald eagle is the victim of a shooting in Missouri as caretakers work to help the injured bird.
The seven-pound bird was brought into the World Bird Sanctuary in Valley Park, Missouri, by a volunteer, according to The Associated Press.
The bird sanctuary staff operated on the male bird to repair a severely damaged beak that could be life-threatening.
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Roger Holloway, executive director of the World Bird Sanctuary, told Fox News Digital in an email that the eagle is doing well and has gained weight while also getting stronger.
"The prognosis is still guarded since we do not yet know if the beak will grow back properly," he said.
"Bird beaks grow like fingernails and if the growth bed is damaged badly, we won't see enough regrowth take place."
He said they do not see many birds with gunshot wounds, relative to the number of patients they see — and that the case is unique.
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This is the 390th injured bird treated this year at the sanctuary, which is located in Valley Park, Missouri, he said.
The eagle’s left wing was injured; the bird also suffered from lead poisoning.
Researchers found that of 448 birds from around the U.S., 50% of the winged animals had evidence of chronic lead poisoning, according to a recent USGS and collaborator's paper published by Science.org.
Todd Katzner, a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) wildlife biologist based in Boise, Idaho, told Fox News Digital earlier this month that lead exposure to raptors — involving eagles and vultures — is a global phenomenon.
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He said this has been seen on every continent as people hunt animals and leave bullets behind. Also affected are avian scavengers — birds that eat dead animals — which may then have remnants of ammunition embedded in their bodies.
In Feb. 2023, officials in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, experienced an incident when a bald eagle — America's bird — died from lead poisoning.
This past January in Indiana, a bald eagle was transferred to Humane Indiana Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center after the bird was found suffering from lead poisoning at Potato Creek State Park.
"This one is certainly notable since the injury is unique and requires innovative treatment," said Holloway.
"And birds don't usually survive shots to the head."
He added that the value of the surgery and treatment is over $10,000 so far.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.