Injured Golden Eagle Found In Morgan Hill Undergoing Rehab At Animal Facility

MORGAN HILL (CBS SF) -- A 9-pound golden eagle found injured in Morgan Hill one week ago is in an intensive care unit at an animal facility, a wildlife center announced Sunday.

Morgan Hill-based nonprofit organization Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center was notified of a downed eagle found in a field on the evening of Sept. 28 by officials from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and Santa Clara County Department of Animal Care and Control who found the animal.

Volunteers from the center safely captured the eagle and took it to its facility, center officials said.

Last Monday, a doctor from Princevalle Pet Hospital in Gilroy examined the eagle and found it had a round, bloody wound in the lower neck and was heavily infested with feather lice, according to center officials.

Center officials said wound was first believed to be a gunshot wound but later determined the eagle may have been impaled on a metal pole or fence.

The wound resulted in a tear in the bird's air sac, which center officials said is vital for flying.

The eagle, a female named Morgan, will stay in intensive care at WERC's facility for at least two more weeks, center officials said.

Morgan will move to the center's 100-foot long-flight enclosure to be conditioned before she is released to the wild, according to center officials.

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