CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) — A bald eagle has been returned to the wild three weeks after it was hit by a vehicle and injured in southern Illinois.
The Southern Illinoisan reports state Rep. Terri Bryant was driving near Carbondale last month when she spotted the injured eagle. She posted about it on Facebook, noting the eagle was still alive.
When Scott Ballard of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources heard about it, he headed out to help. Ballard is a nongame endangered species biologist whose job includes taking care of injured eagles, hawks and owls.
He took the eagle to Free Again Wildlife Rehabilitation. On Monday it was well enough to be released.
Bryant was on hand to take photos. She says the eagle was apprehensive at first but soon soared to the treetops.
