CHESAPEAKE, Va. — The Wildlife Center of Virginia released a bald eagle back into the wild on Thursday, ending a weeks-long rehabilitation.
On Oct. 23, a call came in about a Bald Eagle who was down and unable to fly. It was found at a construction site by Chesapeake Animal Services. The next day, the eagle was transferred to the center for evaluation.
The center said the eagle had ulcers in its eyes, a broken talon, lesions on each foot, and was suffering from dehydration, among other things. Evaluators also made note of the eagle’s very high lead level, which they say could cause permanent neurologic damage.
Since then, the eagle's lead levels have significantly decreased, and recent bloodwork showed normal limits. The center noticed an improvement in its stamina and ability to fly.
A bigger crowd than the center expected showed up at Oak Grove Lake Park to see the bird return to the skies.
"With the adult birds in particular we try to get them back as close as possible to where they were found," said Ed Clark, president and co-founder of the Wildlife Center of Virginia. "This is an adult eagle so it's very possible that she has a partner or mate here and an established nesting territory."
Clark said the release is another example of the conservation success story eagles have become. Once endangered, they are now numerous.
“They have overfilled their habitat here in Tidewater and are found all over the state of Virginia, which is not their natural habitat," Clark said. "So the good news is we’ve got more eagles. The bad news is we don’t have enough places for them to live and now we’ve got new problems.”
Clark said the center may have at least one more eagle release before Christmas.
