Bob CollinsA commenter on the Minnesota State Patrol’s Facebook page asks a very good question today: Who hits a bald eagle and just drives away?
The answer is “someone who was driving Sunday at I-494 and Pilot Knob Road,” according to the story the State Patrol is telling.
Troopers are used to helping stranded motorists or lending a hand at the scene of a crash. Helping bald eagles? Not so much.
But a trooper who came across an injured eagle Sunday at Interstate 494 and Pilot Knob Road in Eagan got creative and was able to get the bird the help it needed.
The bird was hit by a car and had made its way to the shoulder by the time the trooper arrived. The trooper used his coat to cover and pick up the injured eagle. He placed it in the back seat of his squad transported it to the University of Minnesota Raptor Center.
After X-rays, Raptor Center staff reported no broken bones but did say the eagle had internal injuries. They are optimistic the eagle will make a full recover after treatment.
