Eagle released at Muttonhunk Fen Preserve Thursday

After over three months in captivity being treated for malnutrition, a male bald eagle was returned to the Eastern Shore and released at the Muttonhunk Fen Wildlife Refuge Thursday afternoon.  The eagle was found with an oily substance on his feathers and in a malnourished state in May and was transported to the Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro for rehabilitation.

While it wasn’t possible to pin point the exact cause of the eagle’s problems, after it was cleaned up and treated for some minor wounds, the bird responded well to  the efforts to treat the malnutrition.   Representatives of the WCV said that the bird was tested for lead but wasn’t found to have abnormally high levels.

Officials at the release said they always make an effort to release wildlife as close as possible to their original locations.

The Wildlife Center of Virginia is a combined rehabilitation center and vetrinary training facility.  The center treats wild animals of all types including eagles, bears, snakes, opossums, racoons and whatever else needs their help.

When the WCV was created in 1980 there were only about 50 pairs of mating bald eagles in Virginia.  Now there are approximately 1000.

In 2023 the Virginia Wildlife Center treated 66 bald eagle patients. The center depends on donations to continue it’s work.  If you would like to help visit wildlifecenter.org.