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Rescuers sprang into action on Thursday to save a distressed bald eagle in Medford.
The majestic nine-pound bird was in trouble, lying in a median along busy Route 112 after apparently being clipped by a truck’s sideview mirror.
First responders and the animal rescue group Strong Island Animal Rescue League successfully scooped up the eagle and brought her to safety at Sweetbriar Nature Center in Smithtown.
Named “Liberty” by rescuers, it was discovered that the eagle has no fractured bones but does have damage in the right eye, causing vision loss. Vision is crucial for the survival of bald eagles, according to Sweetbriar experts.
Sweetbriar wrote on Facebook, “Eagles also have the ability to voluntarily dilate and constrict their pupils, allowing them to focus on objects near and far. They can even change the curvature of their cornea. However, it has been assumed that because eagles can focus so well at a distance, they may lose some depth of field up close. Liberty, may have been clipped by a passing truck due to this loss of depth perception at close range.”
Liberty has an appointment with an ophthalmologist on Tuesday morning. After her vision is restored, Liberty will be released back into the wild. For updates, visit Sweetbriar’s Facebook page.
Top: Liberty, a bald eagle after rescued in Medford, is safe at Sweetbriar Nature Center in Smithtown. (Photo: Strong Island Animal Rescue League) Tap here to donate to Strong Island Animal Rescue League.
