From Rescue to Release: A Bald Eagles Second Chance

When a Bald Eagle arrives at Back To The Wild, our goal is always the same. We want to give that animal every opportunity to return where it belongs.

This summer, one Bald Eagle arrived in need of intensive care after testing with an elevated blood lead level of 20.8 µg/dL.

The Problem: Lead Poisioning

Lead poisioning continues to be a serious threat to Bald Eagles and other scavenging wildlife. Eagles can be exposed when they feed on carcasses or remains containing fragments of lead ammunition. Even a small amount of lead can cause neurological and physical effects, leaving an otherwise powerful bird weak, uncoordinated, or unable to fly.

For this eagle, getting back to the wild would require more than just a few days of rest.

Treatment begins

Our rehabilitation team began treatment with DMSA, a chelation medication used to help remove lead from the body, along with the supportive care needed throughout recovery.

We continued monitoring the eagle's condition and blood level as treatment progressed. Eventually that leavel dropped from 20.8 µg/dL to 12.5 µg/dL.

Improving bloodwork is only one part of wildlife rehabilitation.

Before any Bald Eagle can be considered for release, we also need to know that the bird can do everything it will need to do once it's back on its own.

Preparing for the Wild

As the eagle recovered, it moved through the rehabilitation process and into our large outdoor flight enclosure.

Here, our team could evaluate flight strength, stamina, coordination, and overall condition. The eagle needed to demonstrate that it could fly strongly and confidently enough to survive without assistance. Eventually, we got the outcome we work toward with every patient:

This eagle was ready to go home!

Back To The Wild

On July 18th, surrounded by members of our community at our Summer Social, the Bald Eagle (2026-0411) was released back into the wild.

After treatment, rehabilitation, monitoring, and flight conditioning, the eagle once again took to the sky.

Those few seconds of freedom represent weeks of work behind the scenes! Medications administered, meals prepared, enclosures cleaned, progress monitored, and countless decisions made by our rehabilitation team.

Every patient admitted to Back To The Wild depends on the people who support this work. Donations help provide medications, specialized diets, medical supplies, appropriate housing, and the daily care required to give injured and orphaned wildlife a second chance.

For this Bald Eagle, the second chance ended exactly where we hoped it would:

Back to the wild!