Eagle found last December released

After nearly 10 months of treatment and rehab, the raptor soars back into wild

A bloody bald eagle found by a deer hunter near Barnett Reservoir last December was released in Madison County by Mississippi wildlife officials on Wednesday, and, after a short test flight, soared back into the wild (See video from WLBT in Jackson here).

It culminates a story that began at Three Prong Hunting Club last December, when a hunter travelling by truck to a deer stand saw two mature bald eagles on the ground. Neither made any attempt to escape when approached, although the healthy one did move away from the hunter.

Other members of the club were called, arrived on the scene and took pictures and one contacted the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. The bloody eagle was captured; the other one eventually flew away.

The eagle spent the last 9½ months recovering from unknown injuries and infections that left it in its bloody state and unable to fly. It was first cleaned, X-rayed and treated with antibiotics at the North State Animal and Bird Hospital in Jackson.

The X-rays found three shotgun pellets in the big bird’s body, but with no related wounds on the skin were dismissed as the immediate cause of the bird’s dilemma.

With news of the shotgun pellets, hunters began taking the blame.

As it began to respond, the eagle was transferred to officials at the Jackson Zoo where it could begin rehabbing and be put into a flight pen.

Nine months in the flight pen had it flight ready, and Jackson Zoo officials and MDWFP biologists chose Wednesday for its release.

“We had to hold the bird for a long time for some wounds to heal and feather growth,” Donna Todd of the Jackson Zoo veterinary clinic told The Clarion-Ledger. “There was no need for treatment after the initial exam. It just took some time for it to heal.”

The long stay in the small flight pen probably left the eagle unsure of its ability to maintain flight, biologists said, which is why they felt it needed a short test flight before soaring up into a tree about 150 yards away.

“It was a beautiful sight,” said MDWFP spokesman Randy Newell.

And, it’s also a happy ending to a story with such a horrible start.