Overview
- The eagle was found March 20 near the Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge in Anahuac and taken to Houston by a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service game warden because it could not fend for itself.
- Houston SPCA Wildlife Center staff treated the bird for three months with anti-inflammatory medicine, supervised rest, exams and physical therapy to allow healing.
- As the eagle regained strength it moved into an outdoor flight complex for progressive conditioning of the flight muscles needed to survive in the wild.
- The bird was released back into its natural habitat near Chambers County on June 18 with Houston SPCA staff and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel present, and the exact cause of the head injury remains unknown though a vehicle strike is possible.
- The case underscores the Houston SPCA’s role in regional conservation—its Wildlife Center treats more than 17,000 native wild animals a year—and it sits against a larger recovery story for bald eagles after mid-20th-century declines.