CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Police in West Virginia are seeking the public’s help for information in the shooting of an American bald eagle whose wing had to be partially amputated.
The eagle was reported struck by a vehicle and was located and captured by a Division of Natural Resources officer on Dec. 31 in Randolph County, Capt. David James of the DNR’s Law Enforcement Section said Friday in a statement. The eagle was taken to the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia in Morgantown, where an examination by a veterinarian and X-rays determined it had been shot days earlier.
Dr. Jesse Fallon told news outlets that the X-rays revealed metal fragments and damage to the eagle’s injured wing. Part of the wing had to be amputated, he said.
“There was no saving it,” Fallon said. “The wound was pretty extensive.”
Fallon said the eagle was emaciated with infection setting into the damaged wing when it arrived but was responding to treatment and was eating and regaining lost weight.
The eagle will not be returned to the wild, James said.
“It will live out its life in captivity being used for educational purposes,” he said.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact DNR police at 304-825-6787.