Missouri Care Team Hopes To Save Bald Eagle That Was Shot In The Beak

VALLEY PARK, Mo. (AP) — A bald eagle is slowly recovering after surgeries in Missouri, the victim of a shooting that experts say is far too common for America’s national bird and other raptors.

The male eagle was found injured in central Missouri on July 11. A volunteer with the World Bird Sanctuary picked it up and brought the 7-pound (3.2-kilogram) 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.

The good news: Suture sites from earlier surgeries are healing well, and so are jaw fractures caused by the force of the bullet, Holloway said. Another procedure is likely in early September.

But even if all goes well, No. 24-390 will require months of care, perhaps even a year, before he could conceivably be released back into the wild.

“We’re just being cautiously optimistic that he’s otherwise healthy and has gained weight, is processing food well, and he’s getting feistier and less cooperative, which we really like,” Holloway said. “Because the bird is wild and it’s got strength, and that’s what it needs to have the ability grow the beak back to its functional size and length.”

No. 24-390 is among six raptors treated for gunshot wounds this summer at the World Bird Sanctuary. About 600 birds are treated there each year, most of them hurt in various types