This bald eagle is flipping the bird at an unknown assailant who shot it.
The tough-as-nails raptor got shot twice but is expected to make a full recovery after being rescued in Missouri.
State Department of Conservation agents Sean Ernst and Haeley Eichler were first alerted of the bird’s whereabouts by a local landowner, who had reportedly seen the creature in the same spot for several consecutive days, Ernst told ABC News.
The dynamic duo happened upon the poor eagle in a cornfield near Paris, Missouri, where the animal tried to hop away as it couldn’t fly, says Enrst.
The agents were able to wrangle the wary winged warrior using a wool blanket from Ernst’s truck. They then transported the skittish bird to the University of Missouri-affiliated Raptor Rehabilitation Project, where vets found two shotgun pellets embedded in its broken wing.
It’s still unclear who took a potshot at the poor baldie, and the Missouri Department of Conservation is currently investigating the incident.
Unsurprisingly, the attempted murder of our national bird didn’t sit well with the social media masses. Albany, New York, meteorologist Greg Pollak posted on Facebook yesterday, eliciting angry responses such as “so sad there are such types of humans that would do such harm to these magnificent raptors.”
In his post, Pollak pointed out that harming bald eagles is a federal offense that carries “a maximum fine of 100,000 dollars.”
Despite the steep penalty, using America’s emblem for target practice is more common than you think. Last week, an unidentified individual gunned down a bald eagle in Oregon, prompting the US Fish and Wildlife Service to offer up to $2,500 for information leading to a conviction.