AUSTIN (KXAN) — A bald eagle is on the road to recovery after it was found in bad shape in a field near Smithville, Texas.
Austin Wildlife Rescue (AWR) took the bald eagle under its wing on Dec. 15 after Texas Parks and Wildlife delivered the bird to its facility. When it arrived, the rescue said it had a fractured wing and a large open wound.
AWR Executive Director Jules Maron suspects it was attacked by another bald eagle based on the injuries.
Those injuries will need months of intensive care and rehabilitation, according to the rescue. To help healing progress, daily bandage changes and close monitoring are required.
On Friday afternoon, the rescue plans to take follow-up X-rays to see if the bone is starting to fuse, and the veterinarian will decide whether surgery is needed or not.
"He does have a positive prognosis at this point, obviously the first 48 hours are always really scary with these guys... he remained active the whole time, he's eating well, so we are cautiously optimistic with what his outcome will be," Maron said.
The rescue explained the severely injured birds in their care with broken legs and wings typically stay in crates at first to limit their mobility so their bones can heal. After some time, the birds are moved outside into larger aviaries to stretch their wings and work their muscles.
"We're looking forward to getting [this bald eagle] outside in probably a month or so," Maron said.
This bald eagle's rescue comes at a symbolic time for the United States. On Christmas Eve, President Joe Biden signed into law Senate Bill 4610, which officially designates the bald eagle as the national bird.
AWR is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1977. Maron said 2024 was a record-breaking year, with the rescue bringing in and taking care of 9,744 animals.
"Based on the trajectory that we're on, I would not be surprised if we hit 10,000 animals next year," Maron said. "I can't even describe the amount of work that it takes to deal with over 9,000 animals, and the amount of staff hours and everything and dedication that that takes is just off the charts."
In 2025, AWR plans to hire more staff as they rehabilitate an increasing number of animals. Maron said they're getting more animals mainly because of word of mouth — members of the public are working to get those native Texas animals to their organization.
"When people drop off the animals, we are here for them, and we are here for our community. It's not about charging people to bring that animal in, it's about getting that animal help, no matter what it is," Maron said.
