Injured eagle healed at LSU, released in Morgan City

On Thursday, an injured bald eagle flew its way back into the wild at Morgan City’s Lake End Park.

The eagle, hit by a truck Dec. 13 somewhere in that area, was released by people from the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, which treated the eagle’s injuries.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries brought the adult, female eagle to LSU Vet Med, the school said.. The agent said that the eagle had been hit by a truck. She had no musculoskeletal injury, so Mark Mitchell, DVM, PhD (LSU 2001), DECZM, assumes that she was not hit directly. She did have an egg present, and. Mitchell believes that the accident led to a dystocia, a problem with the positioning of the egg.

“Using supportive care, we were able to get her to expel the egg,” said Dr. Mitchell.

LSU Vet Med receives ap-proximately 15 eagles each year, as well as more than 1,200 other wild mammals, birds, and reptiles. The school doesn’t charge a fee to the Good Samaritans who bring in these sick and in-jured animals; the Wildlife Hospital provides this medi-cal care from funds donated to the Wildlife Hospital.

To find out how to support our mission, please contact Tracy Evans, senior director of development, at 225-578-9870 or tracy@lsu.edu. You can give online at lsufounda-tion.org/givetovetmed and select Wildlife Hospital.

Wildlife cases can be dropped off at the LSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital’s Small Animal Clinic during regular busi-ness hours (8 a.m.-5 p.m.). The clinic can accept wildlife cases between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m., but no later than 10 p.m. It can also accept cases on weekends (before 10 p.m.).
For more information about LSU Vet Med, please go to lsu.edu/vetmed.