The adult female eagle was likely feeding in Potomac when she got startled and was subsequently struck 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. “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. Thursday, police said. When Officer Jennifer Gill responded, she was met with a resident who observed the injured eagle walking into the woods nearby.
Officer Gill wrapped the eagle in towels and Maryland Department of Natural Resources Officer Danny Thomas assisted Gill in placing the eagle in a carrier for safe transport to the Owl Moon Raptor Center, a wildlife rehabilitation center specializing in birds of prey.
“She was definitely scared [when she came in],” Shoemaker said. “But, she was quiet, kind of subdued, because of her condition.”
Police said Trust appeared to have a soft-tissue injury. Shoemaker said it stemmed from a “full-body blow.”
As of Thursday evening, Shoemaker said the eagle already seemed to be doing better. She added 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.
(WRIC - March 4, 2016)
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