A bald eagle that had been shot twice in the wing is being rehabilitated after it was rescued by conservation officials in Missouri.
The female eagle was found by Missouri Department of Conservation Agents Sean Ernst and Haeley Eichler in a cornfield north of Paris, Missouri, after the landowner called to report he had seen the bird in the same spot for several days in a row
When they got there, the eagle attempted to hop away from them because it was unable to fly, Ernst said.
Eichler then retrieved a large wool blanket from Ernst’s truck, and they used it to cover the resistant eagle before capturing it.
The eagle was then transported to a facility for the Raptor Rehabilitation Project, an organization run by the veterinary school at the University of Missouri, Ernst said.
Veterinarians found two shotgun pellets in the bird’s wing, which broke it, Ernst said. It is expected to make a full recovery, he added.
It is unclear when the eagle was shot, but it was wandering around injured for at least a few days, Ernst said.
The Missouri Department of Conservation is investigating.
It is a federal offense to harm a bald eagle under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and carries a maximum fine of $100,000.