UPDATE: Injured bald eagle recovering in Venice
Animal control officers rescue a bald eagle hit in rush-hour traffic on Fruitville Road in Sarasota.
By Anthony Cormier & John Davis
and JOHN DAVIS
Tuesday, December 14, 2010 at 1:00 a.m.
SARASOTA - An eagle hit by a car in Sarasota on Monday is recovering at the the Wildlife Center of Venice.
The bird, believed to be a female, did not appear to have broken bones or any serious injuries.
"She's doing well," said Linda Schrader, a wildlife rehabilitator at the center. "No obvious injuries; no blood from the trachea; she may have been lucky and gotten clipped."
Hit by a car shortly before rush hour Monday on Fruitville Road near Cardinal Mooney High School, the injured eagle delayed traffic, drew a crowd and public sympathy before animal control took it to a local vet. A volunteer brought the bird to Venice last night.
The Wildlife Center has since been deluged with calls from people concerned about its well being. So far, prospects for recovery look good.
"This morning she's up and alert," Schrader said. "But with these guys you can really do a lot more damage with overhandling."
The bald eagle lay on the edge of the Fruitville Road concrete median, eyes open, legs twisted, still and helpless as rush-hour traffic sped by.
Moments earlier, the injured bird that had been struck by a car ran across several lanes of the road, causing cars to stop to avoid striking it again.
A driver hit the eagle Monday about 4:30 p.m., causing a brief delay for drivers as police and onlookers protected the bird until an animal control officer arrived.
"It came up low, right into the car," said Julie Walburn, who watched the crash and waited impatiently for someone to come help the downed bird.
The driver, Walburn said, stopped and briefly waited. But with two children in her car, she eventually left.
After the collision, the bird lay motionless about a block east of Mimosa Drive, near Cardinal Mooney High School.
When an animal control officer arrived -- wearing thick gloves, and armed with a blanket and a cage -- the eagle mustered enough strength to flap its wings and flash its lengthy talons.
It rose momentarily, then fell back into bushes in the median. The wildlife officer covered it with a blanket, snatched it from the bushes and loaded it into the cage.
According to Coastal Veterinary, the bird is in stable condition and is expected to recover. It has been moved to Venice Wildlife Center for rehabilitation.
About 60 eagles live in Manatee and Sarasota counties, many nesting in remote rural portions of the region, wildlife officials say. But two eagles are nesting in the right field lights at Ed Smith Stadium, and others are known to fly high above the Bobby Jones Golf Club, which is close to where the bird was struck Monday.
It was not clear where that eagle had been nesting.
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