Bald eagle hit on interstate survives crash, but she’s badly hurt, Illinois group says

A bald eagle hit by a car on the interstate in central Illinois was badly injured, an animal rescue group says.

High levels of lead in the bird’s blood probably prevented the eagle from flying to safety, according to the Illinois Raptor Center.

An Illinois State Police trooper and conservation officer rescued the bald eagle from Interstate 55 on Tuesday near Springfield, according to a Facebook post from the group.

The collision injured her head and talons, and she had a large patch of road rash under her wing, the group said. A large piece of plexiglass fell from her feathers while she was being treated at the raptor center.

“She did have a fairly large amount of lead in her blood that probably slowed her down and (made) her not able to get out of the way of the car fast enough,” the raptor center wrote.

Lead exposure and poisoning is a major problem for bald eagles, according to the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. About 90 percent of bald eagles treated for all types of problems have elevated lead levels, according to its website.

Studies by the university showed deer shot with guns during hunting season is a significant reason for lead poisoning in bald eagles, which feed on the carcasses left behind by hunters.

“There is conclusive evidence that spent ammunition in deer remains is a significant if not primary source of toxicity,” according to the university. “There is direct evidence also that some cases of poisoning are due to shotgun pellets that may be embedded in small, upland game such as pheasants, squirrels, and rabbits that may be wounded and subsequently consumed by eagles.”

The bald eagle hit Tuesday is stable and the Illinois Raptor Center is hopeful she will recover.

“But we never promise,” the group wrote. “We never know what could happen. There are so many variables. There may be internal injuries that we will never know about. She may have brain damage. Even the stress could take her down.”

This story was originally published January 8, 2020 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Bald eagle hit on interstate survives crash, but she’s badly hurt, Illinois group says."