World Bird Sanctuary trying to save bald eagle shot through beak

VALLEY PARK, MO (KMOX) - "I just don't know how anyone can mistake a bald eagle for something else," says Roger Holloway, Executive Director of the World Bird Sanctuary.

The sanctuary is trying to save a bald eagle shot in the beak.  "It really appears that he was shot right through the base of beak on the top part, and it also fractured his jaw."

Holloway says there's a chance the beak can grow back.  "The beak of a bird grows a lot like your fingernail.  If that's really damaged it won't grow back."

The eagle will undergo another surgery Thursday morning to check the epoxy and pins used to hold the beak together and to make sure there's no infection.

Holloway says the bird also has an injury to his wing and lead poisoning.  "He already has difficulty eating and was on a feeding tube due to the lead poisoning."  Holloway says lead poisoning often comes from scavenging for carcasses contaminated with lead shot.

The bald eagle is one of six birds of prey the World Bird Sanctuary is treating for gunshots wounds, which Holloway says is a high number, especially for this time of year when there's no active hunting season.

He also points out, he doubts a hunter shot the bird, because hunters are typically conservationists and wouldn't shoot at something if they weren't sure what it was.  "A lot of times this is just somebody that has a gun that just want to take a potshot at things."

According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, penalties for shooting a bald eagle include fines and prison time.