Eagle released to wild after month-long rehab

An eagle that was found slowly starving to death at the Matanuska Susitna Land fill will be returned to the wild this week, after an operation to remove a piece of plastic from its digestive system. The eagle was able to restore strength thanks to a month-long recovery at the Alaska Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center.

Volunteer Nancy Moore says the Houston-based Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center has averaged more than 350 bird rehabilitations each year since it opened in 2005. She says most of the birds they see are suffering injuries from window strikes, cat attacks, or collisions with cars.

The center has been chosen as one of two recipients of donations raised by the Mat-Su Sertoma Club’s annual Polar Plunge, and are currently working on designing and building a new expanded center in Houston, with more room for wild bird rehabilitation, as well as to provide a viewing area for the public to see their educational raptors, which frequently make visits to Mat Su Schools.

Moore says the eagle that is scheduled to be returned to the wild still has some of its juvenile feathers, indicating it probably not yet a mating adult. After its release, the eagle can be expected to mate next year.