ACCOMACK COUNTY, Va. — The Wildlife Center of Virginia said it had successfully released a bald eagle in Accomack County on Sunday.
Randy Huwa, the executive vice president of the center, said the eagle had been treated for high levels of lead in its blood.
The release said eagles can ingest lead when they scavenge animals who have been shot with lead ammunition and accidentally ingest bullet shards.
This can kill the birds, or leave them with lifelong neurological problems.
"A lead fragment the size of a grain of rice could kill a Bald Eagle," Huwa wrote. "In this case, and with an all-out effort by our medical team, and to our surprise and delight, the eagle recovered."
While the center didn't say how much lead it found, it wrote that this bald eagle had extremely high levels compared to other animals the center has treated.
