Eagle Injured So Badly It Couldn't Fly Rescued by Maryland Police
The eagle was likely hit by a car, according to an animal expert.
— -- An animal control officer in Maryland rescued an eagle that was injured so badly it was unable to fly, according to the Montgomery County Police Department.
The adult female eagle was likely feeding on a carcass in Potomac when she was startled and subsequently hit by an oncoming car, said Suzanne Shoemaker, founder of the Owl Moon Raptor Center, a nonprofit rehabilitation facility for birds of prey.
"They don’t fly off until the last second sometimes, and then they get hit," Shoemaker told ABC News today. "They don’t even see [a car] coming until it's close."
Montgomery County Animal Services, which is part of the police department, first received calls reporting the injured eagle around 8:45 a.m. today, police said. When Officer Jennifer Gill responded to the area, she was met with a resident who had seen the hurt eagle walking into the woods.
Once Gill found the eagle, whom she nicknamed "Trust," she wrapped her in a pink towel and placed her in a carrier to be transported to the Owl Moon Raptor Center.
"She was definitely scared [when she came in]," Shoemaker said. "But, she was quiet, kind of subdued, because of her condition."
Trust appeared to have a soft-tissue injury, according to police. Her injuries stemmed from a "full-body blow," Shoemaker said.
The eagle already seems to be doing better this evening, Shoemaker said, adding that the bird is alert and is able to stand on her own.
Shoemaker advises drivers who see dead a carcass on the road to approach it slowly and call animal control to have it removed.
"If you see a carcass, please be aware that there may be a bird flying off of it," she said.